The Native Ant Lasius niger Can Limit the Access to Resources of the Invasive Argentine Ant.

ABSTRACT: Within ant communities, the biotic resistance of native species against invasive ones is expected to be rare, because invasive species are often highly dominant competitors. The invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile (Mayr)) often demonstrated numerical dominance against its opponents, increased aggressiveness, and ability to quickly recruit to food. The present study aimed to assess the behavioral mechanisms involved in the interspecific competition between L. humile, facing either an invasive species (Lasius neglectus Van Loon, Boomsma and Andrásfalvy) or a native dominant species (Lasius niger (Linnaeus)). The resource exploitation by the Argentine ant was investigated during one-hour competitive interactions using 10 dead Drosophila flies as prey.

SUBMITTER: Cordonnier M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7767331 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature