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Putative native source of the invasive fire ant Solenopsis invicta in the USA

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Abstract

The ecological and evolutionary dynamics of newly introduced invasive species can best be understood by identifying the source population(s) from which they originated, as many species vary behaviorally, morphologically, and genetically across their native landscapes. We attempt to identify the source(s) of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) in the southern USA utilizing data from three classes of genetic markers (allozymes, microsatellites, and mitochondrial DNA sequences) and employing Bayesian clustering simulations, assignment and exclusion tests, and phylogenetic and population genetic analyses. We conclude that the Mesopotamia flood plain near Formosa, Argentina represents the most probable source region for introduced S. invicta among the 10 localities sampled across the native South American range. This result confirms previous suspicions that the source population resides in northern Argentina, while adding further doubts to earlier claims that the Pantanal region of Brazil is the source area. Several lines of evidence suggest that S. invicta in the southern USA is derived from a single location rather than being the product of multiple invasions from widely separated source localities. Although finer-scale sampling of northern Argentina and Paraguay combined with the use of additional genetic markers will be necessary to provide a highly precise source population assignment, our current results are of immediate use in directing future sampling and focusing ongoing biological control efforts.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Laurent Keller and Mark Mescher for help collecting ants and Dietrich Gotzek for comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. This study was supported by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture NRICGP (2006-35302-18001; Agreement No. 58-6615-7-137). The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the United States Department of Agriculture or the Agricultural Research Service of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. Any opinions, findings, conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Eric J. Caldera

  2. Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Eric J. Caldera

  3. Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-2603, USA

    Kenneth G. Ross

  4. LI-COR Biotechnology, 4647 Superior Street, P.O. Box 4000, Lincoln, NE, 68504, USA

    Christopher J. DeHeer

  5. USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, 1600/1700 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA

    D. DeWayne Shoemaker

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  1. Eric J. Caldera
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  3. Christopher J. DeHeer
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  4. D. DeWayne Shoemaker
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Correspondence to D. DeWayne Shoemaker.

Appendices

Appendices

Appendix I Locations of sampled populations of S. invicta
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Appendix II Nuclear allele and mtDNA haplotype frequencies within 17 sampled sites in the USA and South America
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Caldera, E.J., Ross, K.G., DeHeer, C.J. et al. Putative native source of the invasive fire ant Solenopsis invicta in the USA. Biol Invasions 10, 1457–1479 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9219-0

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