Asymmetric Competition and Population Dynamics in the Fire Ant

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The fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, tends to colonize newly disturbed land in large numbers, creating initially very dense populations of newly founded colonies. As these colonies grow, they compete with one another through brood-stealing and territorial warfare. The resulting colony mortality causes the population to self-thin as colonies and their territories grow. Large colonies expand at the expense of small ones. By a combination of experimental and statistical methods, Dr. Tschinkel will determine how colony size differences are created and how they and initial colony density affect the density, spacing and size distribution of colonies during thinning. He will also study the factors which predict growth and survivorship of individual colonies and the behavioral aspects of competition. This research will make important contributions to understanding population dynamics of these social insects, especially the importance of colony size and similarities between ant and plant populations. In addition, the work has practical implications since attempts at fire ant control or management have often failed because of the poor understanding of its population dynamics. This study will help fill this gap and thus improve future control strategies.