PARENT SESSION
Symposium 18: Biological Invasions in a Time of Global Change
Organized by: J Weltzin and J Dukes
Thursday, August 7. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Chatham Ballroom C.

Do we need to worry even more about invasive ants?

Sanders, Nathan^*,1, ¹ Department of Biological Sciences, Arcata, CA

ABSTRACT- It is abundantly clear that invasive species and global climate change threaten the integrity of many native communities and ecosystems. Recent reviews and research suggest climate change and the spread of invasive species may act in concert and that global change may exacerbate the spread of invasive species. In this talk, I examine (i) the relationship among climate and ant species richness, (ii) how predicted climate change may affect both species richness and the success of many invasive species, and (iii) how predicted climate change will aid the spread of two of the most conspicuous invasive ant species in the US, Solenopsis invicta in the southern US and Linepithema humile in the western US. Climatic variation is obviously related to variation in ant species richness, but the relationship changes with scale. Likewise, the effects of predicted climate change on ant species richness also vary with scale. The distributions of most invasive species will be affected by changing climate, but probably not in systematic ways. Finally, preliminary analyses suggest predicted climate change will enhance the spread, and likely the impact, of both S. invicta and L. humile on native communities. So, at least for these two species, we should worry even more.

Key words: Solenopsis invicta, invasive species, Linepithema humile, climate change