Impact of the Invasive Argentine Ant in Citrus Agroecosystems: Effects on the Diversity and Frequency of Native Ant Species Foraging on Tree Canopy
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Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
2
Departamento dos Recursos Naturais, Ambiente e Território, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
3
Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia de Biossistemas, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2020, 11(11), 785; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110785
Received: 1 October 2020
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Revised: 22 October 2020
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Accepted: 9 November 2020
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Published: 11 November 2020
Simple Summary
We aimed at assessing the impact of the Argentine ant invasion on the native ant community in citrus ecosystems. We compared the Argentine ant’s invaded and uninvaded citrus orchards in the south of Portugal, estimating species richness and the frequency of ant assemblages foraging on the tree canopy. The results suggest that the Argentine ant has a negative impact on the native ant community structure, markedly reducing the diversity and frequency of native species. This impact was more or less pronounced depending on the season. Possible implications for citrus pest management are discussed.
The invasion of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) can alter the entire ecosystem with serious impacts on the native community structure (e.g., ant diversity) and processes (e.g., trophic interactions) leading to biodiversity loss and pest outbreaks. Most studies addressing these impacts have been conducted in natural or semi-natural areas, few are those conducted in agricultural ecosystems, such as citrus orchards. These are dominant agricultural ecosystems in Mediterranean landscapes. Furthermore, most studies have been conducted in a short span, not evidencing seasonal fluctuations. In this work, we assessed the ecological impact of the Argentine ant on the native ant communities in citrus orchards, in the region of Algarve, southern Portugal. By using principal response curve, we compared seasonal variation on ant assemblages in invaded and uninvaded citrus orchards foraging on tree canopy from a two-year sampling. The Argentine ant had a marked negative impact on the native ant community foraging on citrus canopy. In the uninvaded orchards, the native ant community had a rich assemblage composed of 16 ant species, in its majority (72%) controlled by the dominant species Lasius grandis Forel, Tapinoma nigerrimum (Nylander) and/or Pheidole pallidula (Nylander). In the invaded orchards, the native ant community was poorer and highly modified, mostly dominated by the Argentine ant (80%). Apparently, the only native ant species not affected by the presence of the Argentine ant was Plagiolepis pygmaea (Latreille). A significant negative effect was found between the proportion of infested trees by L. humile and the number of native ant species per orchard. Differences in the native ant community in the invaded and uninvaded orchards persisted over seasons and years. However, negative impacts were higher in the spring and summer, and less pronounced in the autumn. We discuss implications for citrus pest management.
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Keywords:
ants; Formicidae; invasive species; Lasius grandis; Linepithema humile; principal response curve; seasonal changes
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MDPI and ACS Style
Zina, V.; Branco, M.; Franco, J.C. Impact of the Invasive Argentine Ant in Citrus Agroecosystems: Effects on the Diversity and Frequency of Native Ant Species Foraging on Tree Canopy. Insects 2020, 11, 785. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110785
AMA Style
Zina V, Branco M, Franco JC. Impact of the Invasive Argentine Ant in Citrus Agroecosystems: Effects on the Diversity and Frequency of Native Ant Species Foraging on Tree Canopy. Insects. 2020; 11(11):785. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110785
Chicago/Turabian StyleZina, Vera, Manuela Branco, and José C. Franco. 2020. "Impact of the Invasive Argentine Ant in Citrus Agroecosystems: Effects on the Diversity and Frequency of Native Ant Species Foraging on Tree Canopy" Insects 11, no. 11: 785. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110785
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