The Native Ant <i>Lasius niger</i> Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine Ant
Within ant communities, the biotic resistance of native species against invasive ones is expected to be rare, because invasive species are often highly dominant competitors. The invasive Argentine ant (<i>Linepithema humile</i> (Mayr)) often demonstrated numerical dominance against its o...
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/12/2451 |
| _version_ | 1797543989150220288 |
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| author | Marion Cordonnier Olivier Blight Elena Angulo Franck Courchamp |
| author_facet | Marion Cordonnier Olivier Blight Elena Angulo Franck Courchamp |
| author_sort | Marion Cordonnier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Within ant communities, the biotic resistance of native species against invasive ones is expected to be rare, because invasive species are often highly dominant competitors. The invasive Argentine ant (<i>Linepithema humile</i> (Mayr)) often demonstrated numerical dominance against its opponents, increased aggressiveness, and ability to quickly recruit to food. The present study aimed to assess the behavioral mechanisms involved in the interspecific competition between <i>L. humile</i>, facing either an invasive species (<i>Lasius neglectus</i> Van Loon, Boomsma and Andrásfalvy) or a native dominant species (<i>Lasius niger</i> (Linnaeus)). The resource exploitation by the Argentine ant was investigated during one-hour competitive interactions using 10 dead <i>Drosophila</i> flies as prey. When facing <i>La. niger</i>, <i>L. humile</i> exploratory behavior was strongly inhibited, it brought very few prey resources, and killed few opponents. Conversely, <i>La. neglectus</i> had a low impact on <i>L. humile</i>. Contrarily to expectations, the invasive <i>La. neglectus</i> lacked the ability to hinder <i>L. humile</i> resource exploitation, whereas the native <i>La. niger</i> did. These results suggest that <i>La. niger</i> could impact invasive populations of <i>L. humile</i> by interference competition, perhaps better so than some invasive species. While <i>L. humile</i> has become invasive in Southern Europe, the invasion process could be slowed down in the northern latitudes by such native dominant species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:53:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-378477d800a7429a9a87eeb7c93c8b2f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:53:20Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-378477d800a7429a9a87eeb7c93c8b2f2023-11-21T01:53:52ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152020-12-011012245110.3390/ani10122451The Native Ant <i>Lasius niger</i> Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine AntMarion Cordonnier0Olivier Blight1Elena Angulo2Franck Courchamp3Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Paris-Saclay University, 91405 Orsay, FranceAix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Avignon University, 84000 Avignon, FranceEcologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Paris-Saclay University, 91405 Orsay, FranceEcologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Paris-Saclay University, 91405 Orsay, FranceWithin ant communities, the biotic resistance of native species against invasive ones is expected to be rare, because invasive species are often highly dominant competitors. The invasive Argentine ant (<i>Linepithema humile</i> (Mayr)) often demonstrated numerical dominance against its opponents, increased aggressiveness, and ability to quickly recruit to food. The present study aimed to assess the behavioral mechanisms involved in the interspecific competition between <i>L. humile</i>, facing either an invasive species (<i>Lasius neglectus</i> Van Loon, Boomsma and Andrásfalvy) or a native dominant species (<i>Lasius niger</i> (Linnaeus)). The resource exploitation by the Argentine ant was investigated during one-hour competitive interactions using 10 dead <i>Drosophila</i> flies as prey. When facing <i>La. niger</i>, <i>L. humile</i> exploratory behavior was strongly inhibited, it brought very few prey resources, and killed few opponents. Conversely, <i>La. neglectus</i> had a low impact on <i>L. humile</i>. Contrarily to expectations, the invasive <i>La. neglectus</i> lacked the ability to hinder <i>L. humile</i> resource exploitation, whereas the native <i>La. niger</i> did. These results suggest that <i>La. niger</i> could impact invasive populations of <i>L. humile</i> by interference competition, perhaps better so than some invasive species. While <i>L. humile</i> has become invasive in Southern Europe, the invasion process could be slowed down in the northern latitudes by such native dominant species.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/12/2451aggressionArgentine antdominant speciesinterference competitioninvasive speciesresource exploitation |
| spellingShingle | Marion Cordonnier Olivier Blight Elena Angulo Franck Courchamp The Native Ant <i>Lasius niger</i> Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine Ant Animals aggression Argentine ant dominant species interference competition invasive species resource exploitation |
| title | The Native Ant <i>Lasius niger</i> Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine Ant |
| title_full | The Native Ant <i>Lasius niger</i> Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine Ant |
| title_fullStr | The Native Ant <i>Lasius niger</i> Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine Ant |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Native Ant <i>Lasius niger</i> Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine Ant |
| title_short | The Native Ant <i>Lasius niger</i> Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine Ant |
| title_sort | native ant i lasius niger i can limit the access to resources of the invasive argentine ant |
| topic | aggression Argentine ant dominant species interference competition invasive species resource exploitation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/12/2451 |
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