last updated 25.Feb.2009 |
Invasive & Tramp Ants The industrial age brought regular human commerce to all corners of the globe. A number of ant species have thrived by stowing away in our cargo and establishing new populations wherever opportunity offers. These are the rats of the ant world, benefiting from human activities and multiplying in our wake. Species regarded as "invasive" have drastic effects on the habitats where they are introduced, displacing native species and altering the structure and function of the ecosystem. Among the worst of these invaders are the Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta, the Argentine Ant Linepithema humile, the Big-Headed Ant Pheidole megacephala, and the Little Fire Ant Wasmannia auropunctata. Species regarded as "tramps" are less disruptive to native ecosystems, although they can become abundant, often in cities and other areas altered by human activities. |
