Collaborative Research: Invasion Success of the Red Imported Fire Ant: Role of Keystone Species in Competitive Interactions

9528120吉尔伯特外来蚂蚁物种，如红火蚁（Solenopsis invicta）的入侵频繁发生，并经常威胁到引进范围内自然生态系统的完整性。 然而，潜在的生态机制，使一些入侵成功，其他人没有被定量研究。 该提案中的研究是巴西和美国生态学家之间的合作努力，旨在测试有关红火蚁竞争优势和入侵成功机制的几种假设。 将在S原生范围内的三个地点建立重复样地。产于巴西南部。 在这些图中的实验将评估S. invicta占主导地位的共同发生的蚂蚁物种积极，无论是在存在和不存在的寄生蝇专门对S。invicta 这将是第一次在红火蚁的本地范围内研究红火蚁和其他蚂蚁物种之间的相互作用。invicta 本研究也是首次在蚂蚁群落中对竞争和寄生的相对影响和协同作用进行实验研究，具有直接的应用价值。 它将为未来研究其他入侵蚂蚁物种在其本土和引进范围内的相对成功奠定基础。 此外，这项研究的结果将为在美国东南部发展有效的生物控制红火蚁提供基础，该地区对生物多样性产生了毁灭性影响。

9528120 Gilbert Invasions of exotic ant species such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) occur frequently and often threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems in introduced ranges. Yet, the underlying ecological mechanisms that allow some invasions to succeed and others not have not been studied quantitatively. The research in this proposal is a collaborative effort between Brazilian and U.S. ecologists designed to test several hypotheses concerning the mechanisms of competitive dominance and invasion success of the red imported fire ant. Replicate plots will be established at three sites within the native range of S. invicta in southern Brazil. Experiments in these plots will assess the ability of S. invicta to dominate co-occurring ant species aggressively, both in the presence and absence of parasitic flies specialized on S. invicta. This will be the first time that the interactions between the red imported fire ant and other ant species have been examined in the native range of S. invicta. This study also will be the first time that the relative impact and synergistic interaction of competition and parasitism have been examined experimentally in ant communities This study will have immediate applied value. It will form the groundwork for future studies of the relative success of other invasive ant species in their native and introduced ranges. Moreover, the results of this study will provide a foundation for the development of effective biological control of the red imported fire ant in the southeastern United States, an area where it is having a devastating effect on biodiversity.