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Video ViewAttendees 3

Section Symposium

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

On-Demand

Life Abounds in the Great Smoky Mountains: The 25-year All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory Continues On-Demand Presentations

Asian needle ant invasion: Great Smoky Mountain National Park is mostly a refuge for native ants, but not for all ant-plant seed dispersal mutualisms

On-Demand
On-Demand
Abstract: Aim: The Needle Ant, Brachyponera chinensis, (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) has spread throughout a substantial portion of the southeastern United States and has primarily been restricted to low elevations. Our goals were to determine (i) whether there is ongoing spread of B. chinensis into higher elevations, particularly in the southern Appalachians, (ii) whether and why high elevation regions have been resistant to B. chinensis colonization, and (iii) how southern Appalachian ecosystems will be impacted if B. chinensis does invade.

Methods: We surveyed for B. chinensis at 45 different sites in or near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). We then built Species Distribution Models (SDMs) for B. chinensis, as well as some of the native species that B. chinensis is most likely to impact. This allowed us to assess the threat of B. chinensis to southern Appalachian ecosystems.

Results: We did not find B. chinensis at any undisturbed sites in GSMNP. We did find B. chinensis at five high-visitation sites. Findings were consistent with our SDMs, which suggested that GSMNP’s unique precipitation regimes, particularly at high elevations, may act as a barrier to B. chinensis invasion. Unfortunately, SDMs did suggest moderate suitability for B. chinensis across a sizable proportion of the northern border of the park. This is a region where B. chinensis may have disproportionate impacts on myrmechochorus plant species.

Main conclusions: Southern Appalachian precipitation regimes may provide a refuge from B. chinensis at higher elevations, but not for all species likely to be impacted by this invasive ant.