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

TY - JOUR

T1 - The introduction history of invasive garden ants in Europe

T2 - integrating genetic, chemical and behavioural approaches

AU - Ugelvig, Line

AU - Drijfhout, Falko

AU - Kronauer, Daniel

AU - Boomsma, Jacobus

AU - Pedersen, Jes

AU - Cremer, Sylvia

N1 - Correction to: The introduction history of invasive garden ants in Europe: integrating genetic, chemical and behavioural approaches DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0604-6

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - 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 genetically similar populations were detected, and all but one population had a similar chemical profile. Aggression between populations could be predicted from their genetic and chemical distance, and two major clusters of non-aggressive groups of populations were found. However, populations of L. neglectus did not separate into clear supercolonial associations, as is typical for other invasive ants. CONCLUSIONS: The three methodological approaches gave consistent and complementary results. All joint evidence supports the inference that the 14 introduced populations of L. neglectus in Europe likely arose from only very few independent introductions from the native range, and that new infestations were typically started through introductions from other invasive populations. This indicates that existing introduced populations have a very high invasive potential when the ants are inadvertently spread by human transport.

AB - 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 genetically similar populations were detected, and all but one population had a similar chemical profile. Aggression between populations could be predicted from their genetic and chemical distance, and two major clusters of non-aggressive groups of populations were found. However, populations of L. neglectus did not separate into clear supercolonial associations, as is typical for other invasive ants. CONCLUSIONS: The three methodological approaches gave consistent and complementary results. All joint evidence supports the inference that the 14 introduced populations of L. neglectus in Europe likely arose from only very few independent introductions from the native range, and that new infestations were typically started through introductions from other invasive populations. This indicates that existing introduced populations have a very high invasive potential when the ants are inadvertently spread by human transport.

UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-018-0604-6

U2 - 10.1186/1741-7007-6-11

DO - 10.1186/1741-7007-6-11

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 18302731

SN - 1741-7007

VL - 6

SP - 1

EP - 14

JO - B M C Biology

JF - B M C Biology

M1 - 11

ER -