Invasive Fire Ants May Help Other Invasive Species Spread

An invasive fire ant species may be causing more havoc on ecosystems than first thought. Scientists have found that fire ants can actually help the spread of an invasive plant species.

"Ecologists think invasive species might help each other to spread, but there are few good examples," said Mega Frederickson, one of the researchers, in a news release. "They talk about 'invasional meltdown,' because ecosystems could be very, very rapidly taken over by invasive species if invaders help each other out. Our results suggest that invasional meltdown could be happening right under our noses, here in Ontario."

In order to see whether fire ants might cause the spread of invasive species, the researchers conducted their own experiment. They filled small plastic children's swimming pools with soil and planted four species of spring wildflowers-three native species and one invasive species. Then, they collected colonies of the invasive European fire ant and the native woodland ant and placed them in the pools. The ants picked up the seeds from the plant species.

"The pools with the invasive ant were overrun by the invasive plant, but pools with the native ant had lots of native plants," said Kirsten Prior, co-author of the new study. "Unfortunately, as a result of humans rapidly moving species around the globe through trade and traffic, most ecosystems are now home to numerous invasive species. Our finding that multiple invasive species can accelerate invasion and cause ecosystems to become dominated by invasive species is a troubling one."

The findings reveal that the invasive fire ant can be a huge issue for not only insect, but also plant communities. More specifically, it highlights the importance of preventing the spread of these invasive species in order to save native plants and insects.

The findings are published online.

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