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Are red imported fire ants facilitators of native seed dispersal?

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Abstract

Invasive ants threaten native communities, in part, through their potential to disrupt mutualisms, yet invasive species may also facilitate native species. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is one of the most conspicuous invasive ants in North America and its high densities, combined with its potential to displace native ants, have led to concerns that it may disrupt ant-plant seed dispersal mutualisms. We examined the potential of fire ants to disperse seeds in the longleaf pine ecosystem by comparing the removal of elaiosome-bearing seeds by fire ants versus native ants. A total of 14 ant species were observed removing seeds, with fire ants responsible for more than half of all removals. While fire ants were the dominant seed remover in this system, they did not remove significantly more seeds than would be expected based on their population density (46% of ground-dwelling ants). Moreover, red imported fire ants were similar to native ants with respect to distance of seed movement and frequency of moving seeds back to the nest. Areas of higher fire ant densities were found to have greater rates of seed removal by ants without a subsequent drop in seed dispersal by native ants, suggesting that fire ant-invaded areas may experience overall higher levels of seed dispersal. Thus, fire ants may actually facilitate dispersal of elaiosome-bearing plant species in the longleaf pine ecosystem.

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Acknowledgments

We thank R. Wyatt for providing feedback during the preparation of this manuscript and L.M. Conner for statistical advice. Additional thanks go to J.R. King and an anonymous reviewer for providing comments on a later version of this manuscript. Financial support was provided by the J.W. Jones Ecological Research Center, the R.W. Woodruff Foundation, and the University of Georgia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. J.W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Newton, GA, 39870, USA

    Katharine L. Stuble & L. Katherine Kirkman

  2. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Katharine L. Stuble & C. Ronald Carroll

  3. 569 Dabney Hall, 1416 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Katharine L. Stuble

Authors
  1. Katharine L. Stuble
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  2. L. Katherine Kirkman
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  3. C. Ronald Carroll
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Correspondence to Katharine L. Stuble.

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Stuble, K.L., Kirkman, L.K. & Carroll, C.R. Are red imported fire ants facilitators of native seed dispersal?. Biol Invasions 12, 1661–1669 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-009-9579-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-009-9579-0

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