Global Invasion History of the Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta
2011
Ascunce, Marina S. | Yang, Jinzheng | Oakey, Jane | Calcaterra, Luis | Wu, Wen-Jer | Shih, Cheng-Jen | Goudet, Jerome | Ross, Kenneth G. | Shoemaker, DeWayne
The fire ant Solenopsis invicta is a serious agricultural, ecological, and public health pest that was inadvertently introduced into the southern USA almost a century ago and into California and other regions of the world more recently. An assessment of genetic variation at a diverse set of molecular markers in 2,144 colonies from 75 geographic sites worldwide revealed that at least nine separate introductions of S. invicta have occurred into newly invaded areas (NIAs) and that the main southern USA population likely is the immediate source of all but one of these introductions. The sole exception involves a putative serial invasion event from the southern USA to California to southern Taiwan. These results suggest that recently increased global trade and travel greatly enhance the potential for further worldwide spread of this destructive invasive ant from currently 42 infested areas.
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