How to translate text using browser tools
27 March 2019 Effects of Introduced Plants on Diet and Seed Preferences of Pogonomyrmex carbonarius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Patagonian Steppe
Laura M. Aput, Alejandro G. Farji-Brener, Gabriela I. Pirk
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Invasive species may interact with resident species and disrupt previously established interactions, with effects on the whole community. If introduced seeds are selectively consumed by native granivores, this could limit the establishment or spread of invasive plants (biotic resistance), and reduce the predation pressure upon native seeds. We determined if the presence of introduced plants affects the diet and the seed preferences of the ant Pogonomyrmex carbonarius (Mayr) in a Patagonian steppe. We expected a higher proportion of introduced seeds in the diet of nests located in areas with a high abundance of introduced species (roadsides) than in nests located in low invaded areas. Diet composition was obtained by collecting items retrieved by workers to colonies and compared between areas of contrasting abundance of introduced species. Field-based choice experiments were performed to evaluate whether exotic seeds were preferred to native ones under a paired comparisons design. Native seeds predominated in the diet. A low proportion of introduced species were included only in colonies close to the road. Ants preferred native seeds to introduced ones, and showed a marked preference for seeds of the native grass Pappostipa speciosa (Trin. & Rupr.) Romasch. (Poaceae), typical of the Patagonian steppe. The presence of introduced plants had little influence on interactions of P. carbonarius with seeds in the Patagonian steppe. Therefore, this ant species would not exert a control on the studied introduced plants, illustrating a case of low biotic resistance to invasion by these species.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Laura M. Aput, Alejandro G. Farji-Brener, and Gabriela I. Pirk "Effects of Introduced Plants on Diet and Seed Preferences of Pogonomyrmex carbonarius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Patagonian Steppe," Environmental Entomology 48(3), 567-572, (27 March 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz022
Received: 14 November 2018; Accepted: 14 February 2019; Published: 27 March 2019
JOURNAL ARTICLE
6 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
feeding preferences
granivory
road disturbance
selective feeding
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top