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77 results for “invasive ants”
Statistical analysis and dataset for: Acute exposure to caffeine improves foraging in an invasive ant
<p>Linked to the journal article published in iScience (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.109935).</p> <p><em><strong>Abstract</strong></em></p> <p>Argentine ants, <em>Linepithema humile</em>, are a particularly concerning invasive species. Control efforts often fall short likely due to a lack of sustained bait consumption. Using neuroactives, such as caffeine, to improve ant learning and navigation could increase recruitment and consumption of toxic baits. Here, we exposed <em>L. humile</em> to a range of caffeine concentrations and a complex ecologically relevant task: an open landscape foraging experiment. Without caffeine, we found no effect of consecutive foraging visits on the time the ants take to reach a reward, suggesting a failure to learn the reward’s location. However, under low to intermediate caffeine concentrations ants were 38% faster with each consecutive visit, implying that caffeine boosts learning. Interestingly, such improvements were lost at high doses. In contrast, caffeine had no impact on the ants’ homing behavior. Adding moderate levels of caffeine to baits could improve ant’s ability to learn its location, improving bait efficacy.</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>sample_videos.zip</strong>: A subset of the videos used for data extraction. The complete collection of videos is not publicly accessible primarily due to their considerable size (105.35GB). Requests for access to the entire video set are encouraged.</li> <li><strong>Preregistration.pdf</strong>: The preregistration created for data collection and analysis with justifications for deviations from it.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_D1_metadata.csv</strong>: Manually collected metadata pertaining to experimental conditions, subjects, and treatments.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_D2_DLC_coordinates.zip</strong>: Cartesian coordinates obtained from DeepLabCut for each of the videos analysed.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_C1_reproject_coordinates.py</strong>: Python code used to standardise the ants' coordinates by ensuring the same corner of the A4 platform was used as the origin of the cartesian referential of all videos. The known dimensions of the A4 were further used to convert coordinates from pixels to millimetres.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_C2_remove_impossibilities.py</strong>: Python code used to account for DeepLabCut tracking errors, with any ant movement exceeding two millimetres per frame being considered implausible and subsequently removed.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_C3_find_changepoints.py</strong>: Python code used to automatically derive the times at which an ant reached and left the reward from the tracking data.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_C4_inward_outward_data.py</strong>: Python code used to calculate relevant measures for the foodward (inward) and nestward (outward) journey such as journey duration, mean instantaneous speed and path tortuosity.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_C5_Figure_2.R</strong>: R code used to produce the raw elements of Figure 2.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_C6_Figure_4.R</strong>: R code used to produce the raw elements of Figure 4.</li> <li><strong>OpLan_C7_Statistical_Analysis.html</strong>: Complete statistical analysis and code for the manuscript.</li> </ul>
Statistical analysis and dataset for: Invasive ants fed spinosad collectively recruit to known food faster yet individually abandon food earlier
<p>Linked to the journal article published in bioRxiv (https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.20.599949).</p> <p><em><strong>Abstract</strong></em></p> <p>Current management strategies applied to invasive ants rely on slow-acting insecticides which aim to delay the ant’s ability to detect the poison until its effects are noticeable. Despite this, most control efforts are unsuccessful, likely due to bait abandonment and insufficient sustained consumption. Conditioned taste aversion, a learned avoidance of a particular taste, is a crucial survival mechanism which prevents animals from repeatedly ingesting toxic substances. However, whether ants are capable of this delayed association between food taste and subsequent illness remains largely unexplored. Here, we exposed colonies of the highly invasive Argentine ant, <em>Linepithema humile</em>, to a sublethal dose of the slow-acting insecticide spinosad. We combined measurements of individual-level feeding patterns with quantification of collective preferences and foraging dynamics to investigate the potential effects of the toxicant on behaviour. Collectively, ants preferred an odour associated with a previously experienced food, even if this contained spinosad, over a novel one. However, at the individual-level, previous exposure to spinosad resulted in reduced food consumption, as a consequence of earlier food abandonment. Moreover, while control-treated colonies recruited slower to a food source which tasted like a previously experienced one, spinosad-exposed colonies recruited equally fast to both novel and familiar foods. Although it appears that ants are unable to develop a conditioned taste aversion to sublethal doses of spinosad, ingestion of even small amounts of the toxicant strongly influences foraging behaviour. Understanding the subtle effects of slow-acting pesticides on ant cognition and behaviour can ultimately inspire the development of more efficient control methodologies.</p>
Statistical analysis and dataset for: Invasive ant learning is not affected by seven potential neuroactive chemicals
<p>Linked to the journal article published in Current Zoology (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoad001">https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoad001</a>).</p> <p><em><strong>Abstract</strong></em></p> <p>Argentine ants (<em>Linepithema humile</em>) are one of the most damaging invasive alien species worldwide. Enhancing or disrupting cognitive abilities, such as learning, has the potential to improve management efforts, for example by increasing preference for a bait, or improving ants’ ability to learn its characteristics or location. Nectar-feeding insects are often the victims of psychoactive manipulation, with plants lacing their nectar with secondary metabolites such as alkaloids and non-protein amino acids which often alter learning, foraging, or recruitment. However, the effect of neuroactive chemicals has seldomly been explored in ants. Here, we test the effects of seven potential neuroactive chemicals - two alkaloids: caffeine and nicotine; two biogenic amines: dopamine and octopamine, and three non-protein amino acids: β-alanine, GABA and taurine - on the cognitive abilities of invasive <em>L. humile</em> using bifurcation mazes. Our results confirm that these ants are strong associative learners, requiring as little as one experience to develop an association. However, we show no short-term effect of any of the chemicals tested on spatial learning, and in addition no effect of caffeine on short-term olfactory learning. This lack of effect is surprising, given the extensive reports of the tested chemicals affecting learning and foraging in bees. This mismatch could be due to the heavy bias towards bees in the literature, a positive result publication bias, or differences in methodology.</p>
Behavioral data and analyses of competitive interactions between invasive and native ant species [from Cordonnier et al. 2021, Animals]
<p>This README accompanies the files "data_Cordonnier_Animals.txt" & "script_Cordonnier_Animals.txt"</p> <p> </p> <p>Associated publication : </p> <p>The native ant <em>Lasius niger</em> can limit the access to resources of the invasive Argentine ant</p> <p>M. Cordonnier, O. Blight, E. Angulo, and F. Courchamp</p> <p>Published in <em>Animals</em></p> <p> <br> ********************************** CONTENTS *****************************<br> The data are in table form with TABs as variables field delimiters so they can be readily imported in any statistical package or spreadsheet program. Please, contact me if you need the file formatted otherwise. </p> <p> </p> <p>*******************************************************************************<br> Variable names and descriptions</p> <p> </p> <p>Status_Lh status of Linepithema humile (Colonizer or Resident) </p> <p>opp species of the opponent</p> <p>combirc combination of status and species interacting</p> <p>temp temperature during the test</p> <p>hygro hygrometry during the test</p> <p>categ interacting species combination</p> <p>n_deadtot_opp total number of dead opponent workers</p> <p>t_50dead_opp time when 50% of the opponent mortality load have been diagnosed</p> <p>t_interact time of the first interaction between L. humile and opponent workers</p> <p>t_maxfights time when the maximal number of simultaneous fights occurs</p> <p>ET_fights standard deviation of the numbers of fights over time</p> <p>mean_fights mean number of simultaneous fights during the contest</p> <p>n_deadtot_Lh total number of dead workers of L. humile</p> <p>t_50dead_Lh time when 50% of the L. humile mortality load have been diagnosed</p> <p>t_arena_opp time of the opponent entrance in the arena</p> <p>t_bait_opp time of opponent resources’ discovery</p> <p>t_maxarena_opp time when the max. number of opponent workers occurs in the arena</p> <p>mean_arena_opp mean number of opponent workers simultaneously present in the whole arena</p> <p>t_maxbait_opp time when the maximal number of opponent workers on the bait occurs</p> <p>mean_bait_opp mean number of opponent workers on the bait</p> <p>t_arena_Lh time of the entrance in the arena of L. humile</p> <p>t_maxarena_Lh time when the max. number of workers of L. humile occurs in the arena</p> <p>mean_arena_Lh mean number of L. humile workers simultaneously present in the whole arena</p> <p>n_totprey_Lh total number of preys brought by L. humile</p> <p>t_bait_Lh time of resources’ discovery by L. humile</p> <p>t_maxbait_Lh time when the maximal number of L. humile individuals on the bait occurs</p> <p>ETbait_Lh standard deviation of the numbers of L. humile workers on the bait over time</p> <p>mean_bait_Lh mean number of L. humile workers on the bait</p> <p>t_50prey_Lh time when 50% of the final prey load</p> <p> </p> <p>******************************** CONTACT *********************************<br> Please contact me at:</p> <p>Marion Cordonnier<br> e-mail: marion.cordonnier@hotmail.com</p> <p>*******************************************************************************</p> <p> </p>
Figure 1 in The invasive ant Solenopsis invicta is established in Europe
Figure 1. Location, genetic analysis, and modeling of the potential spread of the new alien population of S. invicta. (A) The invaded area in Sicily is marked with a star. The directions of wind trajectories starting from (forward) and arriving at (backward) the study area are indicated as percentages over the total time frame. Main commercial hubs on the island are highlighted. Inset map summarizes the records retrieved for the species alien and native ranges. (B) Nuptial flight recorded in January 2023. (C) Satellite view of the study area (37.055N, 15.267E) and ant nest positions (Data S1A). (D) Haplotype network of mitochondrial sequences. The three main haplotypes are annotated. Colors indicate the sample origin and the sizes of the circles represent the number of samples. (E) Worldwide frequency of the H5 haplotype recorded in Italy, highlighting possible introduction sources. (F) Bars represent suitable area estimated for the species partitioned by land use category (green: % of total area of Europe; blue: % of total area of that category). (G) Ensemble model map prediction under current and future (H) environmental conditions. (I) Future trends of predicted suitable area (% of total area).
Fig. 1 in Uzbekistan - The Alleged Native Range Of The Invasive Ant Lasius Neglectus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): Geographical, Ecological And Biological Evidences
Fig. 1. Collection sites of Lasius neglectus in Uzbekistan (1–20) and Tajikistan (21). Note: numbering of collection sites as in table 1; the bold line encircles the assumed native range of L. neglectus.
Flows of invasive ants worldwide to the United States
<p>International trade and human movements have accidentally transported thousands of species worldwide at an unprecedented scale. The resulting biological invasions are among the greatest drivers of species extinctions and can cause enormous economic losses. Understanding how globalization affects the accidental transport of species is urgent to prevent new invasions. However, global trade networks have had mixed success so far in explaining intercontinental species movements. Here, we show that commonly used proxies of global trade flows such as general imports and agricultural imports differed greatly from flows of alien ants from their donor regions to the United States. The analysis of 97 individual commodity flows revealed instead that plants and fruit imports, which are a small subset of all agricultural commodities, were associated with invasion flows. All 95 other commodities differed from flows of alien ants, including most "agricultural" commodities which had extremely heterogenous geographic origins. This highlights the need to know precisely which commodities serve as introduction pathways for a particular taxonomic group in order to explain invasion flows and identify likely source regions of future invasions in a world of changing trade relationships.</p>
Can immune gene silencing via dsRNA feeding promote pathogenic viruses to control the globally invasive Argentine ant?
<p><span>Pest control methods that can target pest species with limited environmental impacts are a conservation and economic priority. Species-specific pest control using RNA interference is a challenging but promising avenue in developing the next generation of pest management. We investigate the feasibility of manipulating a biological invader's immune system using double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in order to increase susceptibility to naturally occurring pathogens. We used the invasive Argentine ant as a model, targeting the immunity-associated genes <em>Spaetzle</em> and <em>Dicer-1</em> with dsRNA. We show that feeding of <em>Spaetzle</em> dsRNA can result in partial target gene silencing for up to 28 days in the laboratory and five days in the field. <em>Dicer-1</em> dsRNA only resulted in partial gene knockdown after two days in the laboratory. Double-stranded RNA treatments were associated with significant gene expression disruptions across immune pathways in the laboratory and to a lower extent in the field. We observed occasional changes in viral loads in dsRNA-treated groups. However, immune pathways disruption did not result in consistent increase in microbial infections, nor did they alter ant abundance in the field. Our study explores the feasibility of lowering a pest's immunity as a control tool. We demonstate that it is possible to alter immune gene expression of pest species and pathogen loads, though in our system the affected pathogens did not appear to influence pest abundance. We provide advice on future directions for dsRNA-mediated immune disruption in pest species, including potential avenues to improve dsRNA delivery as well as the importance of the biology of the pest system and its pathogens.</span></p>
Fig. 4 in Global and temporal spread of a taxonomically challenging invasive ant, Brachyponera chinensis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Fig. 4. Temporal distribution of reproductive individuals (female and male alates) and brood presence within Brachyponera chinensis nests (dark gray) with overall sampling period shown in light gray. Numbers indicated when sampling occurred during the yr.
Fig. 3 in Global and temporal spread of a taxonomically challenging invasive ant, Brachyponera chinensis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Fig. 3. Elevation distribution of Brachyponera chinensis in its native range. Shaded areas correspond to the elevation at which B. chinensis has been collected for each specific reference. Light gray areas were sites at a given altitude that were sampled, but no B. chinensis were found. References used are presented in
Fig. 2 in Global and temporal spread of a taxonomically challenging invasive ant, Brachyponera chinensis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Fig. 2. Introduced range distributions. (A-E) Spread over time of Brachyponera chinensis from the earliest record in 1932 to 2018 in the US presented by 20-yr periods, with 1 record from Washington State not displayed; (F) and along the east coast of the Black Sea in south Russia and Georgia (with color code for temporal periods similar to Figs. D, E).
Fig. 1 in Global and temporal spread of a taxonomically challenging invasive ant, Brachyponera chinensis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Fig. 1. Distribution of Brachyponera chinensis in Asia presenting records identified as part of the B. chinensis species complex (light gray) and confirmed records of B. chinensis s.s. (dark gray).
Invasive ant and trade flows from continents to countries worldwide
<p>A major goal of invasion biology is to understand global species flows between donor and recipient regions. Our current view of such flows assumes that species are moved directly from their native to their introduced range. However, if introduced populations serve as bridgehead population that generate additional introductions, tracing intercontinental flows between donor and recipient regions misrepresents the introduction history. Our aim was to assess to what extent bridgehead effects distort our view of global species flows. We separately mapped "flows" of 252 alien ant species established on one to six continents, representing a gradient of relatively certain to completely unreliable flows. In 83% of countries, more than 50% of alien ants were established on six continents, indicating that flows to these countries are unreliable. Flows of species established on a single continent were linked to global trade flows, while flows including cosmopolitan species were not linked to global trade. It is crucial to account for bridgehead effects when assessing the biogeography and intercontinental flows of alien species. This is urgent for improving our understanding of how species are moved around the planet.</p>
Data for: An invasive ant increases deformed wing virus loads in honey bees
<p>The majority of invasive species are best known for their effects as predators. However, many introduced predators may also be substantial reservoirs for pathogens. Honey bee-associated viruses are found in various arthropod species including invasive ants. We examined how the globally invasive Argentine ant (<em>Linepithema humile</em>), which can reach high densities and infest beehives, is associated with pathogen dynamics in honey bees. Viral loads of Deformed wing virus (DWV), which has been linked to millions of beehive deaths around the globe, and black queen cell virus significantly increased in bees when invasive ants were present. Microsporidian and trypanosomatid infections, which are more bee-specific, were not affected by ant invasion. The bee virome in autumn revealed that DWV was the predominant virus with the highest infection levels and that no ant-associated viruses were infecting bees. Viral spillback from ants could increase infections in bees. In addition, ant attacks could pose a significant stressor to bee colonies that may affect virus susceptibility. These viral dynamics are a hidden effects of ant pests, which could have a significant impact on disease emergence in an economically important pollinator. Our study contributes to unravel a perhaps overlooked effect of species invasions: changes in pathogen dynamics.</p>
Invasive ant and trade flows from continents to countries worldwide
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Can immune gene silencing via dsRNA feeding promote pathogenic viruses to control the globally invasive Argentine ant?
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Data for: An invasive ant increases deformed wing virus loads in honey bees
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Flows of invasive ants worldwide to the United States
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Trait-mediated competition drives an ant invasion and alters functional diversity
The assumption that differences in species' traits reflect their different niches has long influenced how ecologists infer processes from assemblage patterns. For instance, many assess the importance of environmental filtering versus classical limiting-similarity competition in driving biological invasions by examining whether invaders' traits are similar or dissimilar to those of residents, respectively. However, mounting evidence suggests that hierarchical differences between species' trait values can distinguish their competitive abilities (e.g., for the same resource) instead of their niches. Whether such trait-mediated hierarchical competition explains invasions and structures assemblages is less explored. We integrate morphological, dietary, physiological and behavioural trait analyses to test whether environmental filtering, limiting-similarity competition, or hierarchical competition explain invasions by fire ants on ant assemblages. We detect both competition mechanisms; invasion success is not only explained by limiting similarity in body size and thermal tolerance (presumably allowing the invader to exploit different niches from residents), but also by the invader's superior position in trait hierarchies reflecting competition for common trophic resources. We find that the two mechanisms generate complex assemblage-level functional diversity patterns (overdispersion in some traits, clustering in others) suggesting their effects are likely missed by analyses restricted to a few traits and composite trait diversity measures.
Data and R scripts for: Ant invasions is associated with lower root density and different root distribution of a foundational savanna tree species
<p>Some invasive ants have worldwide distributions and impose substantial impacts on human society and native biodiversity. Yet we know little about how ants impact soil ecosystems in general, much less how soil ecosystems shift when invasive ants move in. We excavated the coarse roots of a monodominant savanna tree in invaded and uninvaded areas to test the hypothesis that the presence of invasive ants would be associated with changes in root distribution and biomass across the landscape. We found that in the presence of invasive ants, trees had a shifted distribution of lateral coarse roots, with proportionally less root biomass near the surface and far from tree stems. In addition, the density of lateral coarse-root biomass was ~20% lower for trees within invaded landscapes. Our results suggest that soil-nesting invasive ants can drive important changes in rooting strategy for a tree species that serves a foundational role in the biogeochemical cycles of vertisol savannas.</p>
ScienceDex guides
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These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.