Elliott Chaparral Reserve

31 Mar, 10 PM - 31 Oct, 02 PM

The project I am proposing is an expansion of the irrigation project I performed last year. I plan to determine the relative importance of the environment (soil moisture) and biotic resistance (native ants) in determining community susceptibility to invasion by Argentine ants. In order to accomplish this I propose setting up a factorial experiment using irrigation and native ant removals. I would like to set up seven experimental units. Each experimental unit will be 100 meters in length and composed of 4 plots (irrigated/removal, irrigated/no removal, no irrigation/removal, no irrigation/no removal). Treatments will be in plots 10m X 10m. These experimental units will run in parallel (5m south of the road) to the animal use facilities/main road/Eucalyptus grove that runs east/west through the northern part of the reserve. This area is already periodically invaded by Argentine ants. I am going to be measuring the change in abundance of Argentine ants in these plots resulting from the treatments. This is going to be a short term experiment (3 months) in the middle of summer. Water will be applied using drip irrigation (same methods as last year). Native ants will be removed using poison baits. Only a small number of nests will need to be removed (approximately 3 nests per removal plot). Nests will be closely monitored and only the targeted species will be allowed to feed at poison baits. Harvester ants will not be removed, but rather will be fenced in for the duration of the experiment. Considering the spatial scale of the experiment, the disturbed area in which the experiment is taking place, and the fact that in the area of this experiment there are no rare ants, the effect of this experiment on the environment will be minimal. There are no other sites that have this unique combination of available water, long spatial contact zone of argentine ants and native ants in a natural habitat.

Visit #7027 @Elliott Chaparral Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 4061 | Research

Role of abiotic factors in determining invasion success of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile)

graduate_student - University of California, San Diego

Reservation Members(s)

Sean Menke Mar 31 - Oct 31, 2005 (215 days)
Sean Menke Mar 31 - Oct 31, 2005 (215 days)
Sean Menke Mar 31 - Oct 31, 2005 (215 days)

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