The introduction history of invasive garden ants in Europe: integrating genetic, chemical and behavioural approaches.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The invasive garden ant, Lasius neglectus, is the most recently detected pest ant and the first known invasive ant able to become established and thrive in the temperate regions of Eurasia. In this study, we aim to reconstruct the invasion history of this ant in Europe analysing 14 populations with three complementary approaches: genetic microsatellite analysis, chemical analysis of cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and behavioural observations of aggression behaviour. We evaluate the relative informative power of the three methodological approaches and estimate both the number of independent introduction events from a yet unknown native range somewhere in the Black Sea area, and the invasive potential of the existing introduced populations.

Results

Three clusters of

SUBMITTER: Ugelvig LV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2292682 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature