Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/19318
Appears in Collections:Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal Articles
Peer Review Status: Refereed
Title: Impact of an invasive alien ant, Wasmannia auropunctata Roger., on a specialised plant-ant mutualism, Barteria fistulosa Mast. and Tetraponera aethiops F. Smith., in a Gabon forest
Author(s): Mikissa, Jean-Bruno
Jeffery, Kathryn Jane
Fresneau, Dominique
Mercier, Jean Luc
Contact Email: kathryn.jeffery1@stir.ac.uk
Keywords: Barteria fistulosa
Gabon
interspecific competition
invasive ant
Tetraponera aethiops
Wasmannia auropunctata
Issue Date: Dec-2013
Date Deposited: 28-Feb-2014
Citation: Mikissa J, Jeffery KJ, Fresneau D & Mercier JL (2013) Impact of an invasive alien ant, Wasmannia auropunctata Roger., on a specialised plant-ant mutualism, Barteria fistulosa Mast. and Tetraponera aethiops F. Smith., in a Gabon forest. Ecological Entomology, 38 (6), pp. 580-584. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12057
Abstract: 1. In tropical West Africa, the ant Tetraponera aethiops obligately inhabits the domatia of Barteria fistulosa trees, aggressively defending the trees from herbivory and pruning off lianas. 2. We compared the occurrence of ants and lianas on B. fistulosa trees in areas of Gabon, where the invasive little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, was absent (uninfested area) and present (infested area). 3. We found that T. aethiops occurred significantly more often in larger B. fistulosa trees, and that occurrence rates were much higher in the uninfested area versus the infested area: on < 1 m trees: 17% vs. 0%; 1-5 m trees: 58% vs. 3%; > 5 m trees: 90% vs. 10%). 4. In contrast, lianas occurred significantly less often in the uninfested area versus the infested area: on < 1 m trees: 0% vs. 100%; 1-5 m trees: 0% vs. 77%; > 5 m trees: 10% vs. 63%). 5. In the infested area, W. auropunctata occurred significantly less often in larger B. fistulosa trees (on < 1 m trees: 100%; 1-5 m trees: 97%; > 5 m trees: 90%). Here T. aethiops and W. auropunctata coexisted on few trees (on < 1 m trees: 0%; 1-5 m trees: 1%; > 5 m trees: 4%). 6. The negative consequences for the trees are already evident, and the situation for native ants is likely to decline further in future because they will not be able to generate the large (relatively resistant) colonies found on large trees.
DOI Link: 10.1111/een.12057
Rights: The publisher does not allow this work to be made publicly available in this Repository. Please use the Request a Copy feature at the foot of the Repository record to request a copy directly from the author. You can only request a copy if you wish to use this work for your own research or private study.
Licence URL(s): http://www.rioxx.net/licenses/under-embargo-all-rights-reserved

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
Mikissa et al. 2013 Ecol.Entom.pdfFulltext - Published Version706.43 kBAdobe PDFUnder Embargo until 3000-01-01    Request a copy

Note: If any of the files in this item are currently embargoed, you can request a copy directly from the author by clicking the padlock icon above. However, this facility is dependent on the depositor still being contactable at their original email address.



This item is protected by original copyright



Items in the Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

The metadata of the records in the Repository are available under the CC0 public domain dedication: No Rights Reserved https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

If you believe that any material held in STORRE infringes copyright, please contact library@stir.ac.uk providing details and we will remove the Work from public display in STORRE and investigate your claim.