Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Interference competition by Argentine ants displaces native ants: implications for biotic resistance to invasion

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Dolichoderinae) is one of the most widespread invasive ant species in the world. Throughout its introduced range, it is associated with the loss or reduced abundance of native ant species. The mechanisms by which these native species are displaced have received limited attention, particularly in Australia. The role of interference competition in the displacement of native ant species by L. humile was examined in coastal vegetation in central Victoria (southeastern Australia). Foragers from laboratory colonies placed in the field consistently and rapidly displaced the tyrant ant Iridomyrmex bicknelli, the big-headed ant Pheidole sp. 2, and the pony ant Rhytidoponera victoriae from baits. Numerical and behavioural dominance enabled Argentine ants to displace these ants in just 20 min; the abundance of native species at baits declined 3.5–24 fold in direct relation to the rapid increase in L. humile. Most precipitous was the decline of I. bicknelli, even though species in this typically dominant genus have been hypothesized to limit invasion of L. humile in Australia. Interspecific aggression contributed strongly to the competitive success of Argentine ants at baits. Fighting occurred in 50–75% of all observed interactions between Argentine and native ants. This study indicates that Argentine ants recruit rapidly, numerically dominate, and aggressively displace from baits a range of Australian native ant species from different subfamilies and functional groups. Such direct displacement is likely to reduce native biodiversity and indirectly alter food web structure and ecosystem processes within invaded areas. Biotic resistance to Argentine ant invasion from native ants in this coastal community in southeastern Australia is not supported in this study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen AN (1986a) Diversity, seasonality and community organisation of ants at adjacent heath and woodland sites in south-eastern Australia. Aust J Zool 34:53–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen AN (1986b) Patterns of ant community organisation in mesic south-eastern Australia. Aust J Ecol 11:87–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen AN (1990) The use of ant communities to evaluate change in Australian terrestrial ecosystems: a review and a recipe. Proc Ecol Soc Aust 16:347–357

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersen AN (1992) Regulation of “momentary” diversity by dominant species in exceptionally rich ant communities of the Australian seasonal tropics. Am Natural 140:401–420

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen AN (1997) Functional groups and patterns of organization in North American ant communities: a comparison with Australia. J Biogeogr 24:433–460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen AN, Patel AD (1994) Meat ants as dominant members of Australian ant communities: an experimental test of their influence on the foraging success and forager abundance of other species. Oecologia 98:15–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bond W, Slingsby P (1984) Collapse of an ant-plant mutualism the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis and myrmecochorous Proteaceae. Ecology 65:1031–1037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calder WB (1975) Peninsula perspectives. WB Calder, Melbourne, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole FR, Medeiros AC, Loope LL, Zuehlke WW (1992) Effects of the Argentine ant on arthropod fauna of Hawaiian high-elevation shrubland. Ecology 73:1313–1322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowell KL (1968) Rates of competitive exclusion by the Argentine ant in Bermuda. Ecology 49:551–555

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson DW (1998) Resource discovery versus resource domination in ants: a functional mechanism for breaking the trade-off. Ecol Entomol 23:484–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Kock AE (1990) Interactions between the introduced Argentine ant, Iridomyrmex humilis Mayr, and two indigenous fynbos ant species. J Entomol Soc South Africa 53:107–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson JM (1971) The displacement of native ant species by the introduced Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis Mayr. Psyche 78:257–266

    Google Scholar 

  • Fellers JH (1987) Interference and exploitation in a guild of woodland ants. Ecology 69:1466–1478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox BJ, Fox MD, Archer E (1985) Experimental confirmation of competition between two dominant species of Iridomyrmex (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). Aust J Ecol 10:105–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fluker SS, Beardsley JW (1970) Sympatric associations of three ants: Iridomyrmex humilis, Pheidole megacephala, and Anoplolepis longipes in Hawaii. Ann Entomol Soc Am 63:1290–1296

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibb H, Hochuli DF (2004) Removal experiment reveals limited effects of a behaviorally dominant species on ant assemblages. Ecology 85:648–657

    Google Scholar 

  • Giraud T, Pedersen JS, Keller L (2002) Evolution of supercolonies: the Argentine ants of Southern Europe. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99:6075–6079

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greenslade PJM (1976) The meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) as a dominant member of ant communities. J Aust Entomol Soc 15:237–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenslade PJM (1978) Ants. In: Low A (ed) The physical and biological features of Kunnoth in Central Australia. CSIRO Division of Land Resources Management Technical Paper No. 4

  • Greenslade PJM, Halliday RB (1982) Distribution and speciation in meat ants, Iridomyrmex purpureus and related species (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). In: Barker WR, Greenslade PJM (eds) Evolution of the Flora and Fauna of Arid Australia. Peacock Publications, Adelaide, pp 249–255

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenslade PJM, Halliday RB (1983) Colony dispersion and relationships of meat ants Iridomyrmex purpureus and allies in an arid locality in South Australia. Insect Sociaux 30:82–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haines IH, Haines JB (1978) Pest status of the crazy ant, Anoplolepis longipes (Jerdon) (Hymenoptera:Formicidae), in the Seychelles. Bull Entomol Res 68: 627–638

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haskins CP, Haskins EF (1988) Final observations on Pheidole megacephala and Iridomyrmex humilis in Bermuda. Psyche 95:177–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Hee JJ, Holway DA, Suarez AV, Case TJ (2000) Role of propagule size in the success of incipient colonies of the invasive Argentine ant. Conserv Biol 14:559–563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heller NE (2004) Colony structure in introduced and native populations of the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile. Insect Sociaux 51:378–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann BD, Andersen AN, Hill GJE (1999) Impact of an introduced ant on native rain forest invertebrates: Pheidole megacephala in monsoonal Australia. Oecologia 120:595–604

    Google Scholar 

  • Hölldobler B, Wilson EO (1990) The Ants. Belknap Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Holway DA (1998a) Effect of Argentine ant invasions on ground-dwelling arthropods in northern California riparian woodlands. Oecologia 116:252–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holway DA (1998b) Factors governing rate of invasion: a natural experiment using Argentine ants. Oecologia 115:206–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holway DA (1999) Competitive mechanisms underlying the displacement of native ants by the invasive Argentine ant. Ecology 80:238–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holway DA (2005) Edge effects of an invasive species across a natural ecological boundary. Biol Conserv 121:561–567

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holway DA, Case TJ (2001) Effects of colony-level variation on competitive ability in the invasive Argentine ant. Anim Behav 61:1181–1192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holway DA, Suarez AV, Case TJ (1998) Loss of intraspecific aggression in the success of a widespread invasive social insect. Science 283:949–952

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holway DA, Suarez AV, Case TJ (2002a) Role of abiotic factors in governing susceptibility to invasion: a test with Argentine ants. Ecology 83:1610–1619

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holway DA, Lach L, Suarez AV, Tsutsui ND, Case TJ (2002b) The causes and consequences of ant invasions. Ann Rev Ecol System 33:181–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes L, Westoby M (1992) Fate of seeds adapted for dispersal by ants in Australian sclerophyll vegetation. Ecology 73:1285–1299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Human KG, Gordon DM (1996) Exploitation and interference competition between the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, and native ant species. Oecologia 105:405–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Human KG, Gordon DM (1999) Behavioral interactions of the invasive Argentine ant with native ant species. Insect Sociaux 46:159–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Human KG, Weiss S, Weiss A, Sandler B, Gordon DM (1998) Effects of abiotic factors on the distribution and activity of the invasive Argentine ant (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). Environ Entomol 27:822–833

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Breton J, Chazeau J, Jourdan H (2003) Immediate impacts of invasion by Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) on native litter ant fauna in a New Caledonian rainforest. Austral Ecol 28:204–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberburg I, Kranz PM, Seip A (1975) Bermudian ants revisited: the status and interaction of Pheidole megacephala and Iridomyrmex humilis. Ecology 56:473–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Majer JD (1994) Spread of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), with special reference to Western Australia. In: Williams DF (ed) Exotic ants: biology, impact, and control of introduced species, Westview Press, Boulder, CO, pp163–173 and 332

  • Morrison LW (2000) Mechanisms of interspecific competition among an invasive and two native fire ants. Oikos 90:238–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ness JH, Bronstein JL, Andersen AN, Holland JN (2004) Ant body size predicts dispersal distance of ant-adapted seeds: implications of small-ant invasions. Ecology 85:1244–1250

    Google Scholar 

  • Newell W, Barber TC (1913) The Argentine ant. Bureau Entomol Bull 122:1–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Pamilo P, Crozier RH, Fraser J (1985) Inter-nest interactions, nest autonomy, and reproductive specialization in an Australian arid-zone ant, Rhytidoponera sp 12. Psyche 92:217–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter SD, Savignano DA (1990) Invasion of polygyne fire ants decimates native ants and disrupts arthropod community. Ecology 71:2095–2106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Dowd DJ, Green PT, Lake PS (2003) Invasional ‘meltdown’ on an oceanic island. Ecol Lett 6: 812–817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn GP, Keough MJ (2002) Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodgerson L, (1998) Mechanical defense in seeds adapted for ant dispersal. Ecology 79:1669–1677

    Google Scholar 

  • Roulston TH, Buczkowski G, Silverman J (2003) Nestmate discrimination in ants: effect of bioassay on aggressive behavior. Insect Sociaux 50:151–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowles AD (2005) Invasion by Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) in southeastern Australia: direct and indirect effects and mechanisms for impacts. PhD thesis, Monash University, Australia, p 231

  • Sanders NJ, Gotelli NJ, Heller NE, Gordon DM (2003) Community disassembly by an invasive species. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:2474–2477

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shattuck SO (1992a) Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). Sociobiology 21:1–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Shattuck SO (1992b) Review of the Dolichoderine ant genus Iridomyrmex Mayr with descriptions of three new genera (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). J Aust Entomol Soc 31:13–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Shattuck SO (1999) Australian ants their biology and identification. CSIRO, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Suarez AV, Richmond JQ, Case TJ (2000) Prey selection in horned lizards following the invasion of Argentine ants in southern California. Ecol Appl 10:711–725

    Google Scholar 

  • Suarez AV, Tsutsui ND, Holway DA, Case TJ (1999) Behavioral and genetic differentiation between native and introduced populations of the Argentine ant. Biol Invas 1:43–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas ML, Holway DA (2005) Condition-specific competition between invasive Argentine ants and Australian Iridomyrmex. J Anim Ecol 74:532–542

    Google Scholar 

  • Touyama Y, Ogata K, Sugiyama T (2003) The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, in Japan: assessement of impact on species diversity of ant communities in urban environments. Entomol Sci 6:57–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsutsui ND, Suarez AV, Holway DA, Case TJ (2000) Reduced genetic variation and the success of an invasive species. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:5948–5953

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tsutsui ND, Suarez AV, Holway DA, Case TJ (2001) Relationships among native and introduced populations of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) and the source of introduced populations. Mol Ecol 10:2151–2161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walters AC, Mackay DA (2005) Importance of large colony size for successful invasion by Argentine ants (Hymenoptera:Formicidae): evidence for biotic resistance by native ants. Austral Ecol 30:395–406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters AC (in press) The invasion of Argentine ants (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) in South Australia: impacts on community composition and abundance of invertebrates in urban parklands. Austral Ecol 31

  • Ward PS (1981) Ecology and life history of the Rhytidoponera impressa group (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) I Habitats, nest sites, and foraging behavior. Psyche 88:89–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson L (2000) SYSTAT 10. SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank J. Majer, J. Silverman and K. Abbott for comments on an earlier draft and B. Rowles-van Rijswijk for manuscript review and field assistance. T. Craven and P. Davis provided advice on extraction of ants from soil. D. Mackay, M. Burd and M. Thomas advised on the design of laboratory ant colonies. Parks Victoria provided access to sites in the Mornington Peninsula National Park under permit no. 10002268. This is contribution no. 102 from the Australian Centre for Biodiversity: Analysis, Policy and Management at Monash University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Centre for Biodiversity, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., 3800, Australia

    Alexei D. Rowles & Dennis J. O’Dowd

  2. Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7613, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7613, USA

    Alexei D. Rowles

Authors
  1. Alexei D. Rowles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dennis J. O’Dowd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dennis J. O’Dowd.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rowles, A.D., O’Dowd, D.J. Interference competition by Argentine ants displaces native ants: implications for biotic resistance to invasion. Biol Invasions 9, 73–85 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-006-9009-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-006-9009-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation