Modeling Control of Invasive Fire Ants by Gene Drive.

ABSTRACT: The fire ant Solenopsis invicta is characterized by aggressive behavior and exceptional invasive capabilities, rendering conventional control methods largely ineffective. Here, we consider homing suppression gene drive in fire ants by developing a spatially explicit model that incorporates both monogyne and polygyne colonies. Ants may present unique challenges for gene drive due to their colony structure and haplodiploidy. Results show that after an extended period of time, gene drive effectively eliminates polygyne colonies, but monogyne populations can persist at low level. Though standard suppression drives in haplodiploids have reduced power, new dominant-sterile resistance or two-target strategies, as well as drives that affect the colony structure, can restore high suppressive capabi

SUBMITTER: Liu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12697894 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature