TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of recent interception records reveals frequent transport of arboreal ants and potential predictors for ant invasion in taiwan
AU - Lee, Ching Chen
AU - Weng, Yi Ming
AU - Lai, Li Chuan
AU - Suarez, Andrew V.
AU - Wu, Wen Jer
AU - Lin, Chung Chi
AU - Yang, Chin Cheng Scotty
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This work was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 103-2621-M-002-017-to WJW and LCL, MOST 102-2621-M-126-001-to LCL), the Humanosphere Mission Research Project Kyoto University (CCSY), the Future Development Funding Program of the Kyoto University Research Coordination Alliance (CCSY), and the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, JSPS (CCSY).
PY - 2020/6
Y1 - 2020/6
N2 - We uncovered taxonomic diversity, country of origin and commodity type of intercepted ants at Taiwanese borders based on an 8 year database of 439 interception records. We found intercepted ants arrived predominantly via timber, a pattern likely reflecting the high domestic demand for foreign timber in Taiwan. The most frequently intercepted species were either arboreal or wood-dwelling ants, raising a concern of these ants constituting a next wave of ant invasion in Taiwan. Further analyses indicate that the taxonomic composition of intercepted ants does not match that of established non-native ant species, suggesting that interception data alone fails to provide adequate power to predict the establishment success of ants. Yet, interception frequency and selected life-history traits (i.e., flexible colony founding mode and general nesting habits) were shown to jointly serve as a practical predictor of the establishment risk of non-native ants. Consistent with other border interception databases, secondary introduction (i.e., species arriving from their introduced ranges instead of their native ranges) also represents a major pathway for transport of invasive ants into Taiwan, suggesting its role in shaping the global invasion of ants. Our findings offer baseline information for constructing a prediction framework for future ant invasions and assist in the decision-making process of quarantine authorities in Taiwan.
AB - We uncovered taxonomic diversity, country of origin and commodity type of intercepted ants at Taiwanese borders based on an 8 year database of 439 interception records. We found intercepted ants arrived predominantly via timber, a pattern likely reflecting the high domestic demand for foreign timber in Taiwan. The most frequently intercepted species were either arboreal or wood-dwelling ants, raising a concern of these ants constituting a next wave of ant invasion in Taiwan. Further analyses indicate that the taxonomic composition of intercepted ants does not match that of established non-native ant species, suggesting that interception data alone fails to provide adequate power to predict the establishment success of ants. Yet, interception frequency and selected life-history traits (i.e., flexible colony founding mode and general nesting habits) were shown to jointly serve as a practical predictor of the establishment risk of non-native ants. Consistent with other border interception databases, secondary introduction (i.e., species arriving from their introduced ranges instead of their native ranges) also represents a major pathway for transport of invasive ants into Taiwan, suggesting its role in shaping the global invasion of ants. Our findings offer baseline information for constructing a prediction framework for future ant invasions and assist in the decision-making process of quarantine authorities in Taiwan.
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U2 - 10.3390/insects11060356
DO - 10.3390/insects11060356
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85086337732
VL - 11
SP - 1
EP - 13
JO - Insects
JF - Insects
SN - 2075-4450
IS - 6
M1 - 356
ER -