Evidence of niche shift and global invasion potential of the Tawny Crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva.

ABSTRACT: Analysis of an invasive species' niche shift between native and introduced ranges, along with potential distribution maps, can provide valuable information about its invasive potential. The tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, is a rapidly emerging and economically important invasive species in the southern United States. It is originally from east-central South America and has also invaded Colombia and the Caribbean Islands. Our objectives were to generate a global potential distribution map for N. fulva, identify important climatic drivers associated with its current distribution, and test whether N. fulva's realized climatic niche has shifted across its invasive range. We used MaxEnt niche model to map the potential distribution of N. fulva using its native and invaded range occurrences a

SUBMITTER: Kumar S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4670064 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature