Citation

Yang CC, Ascunce MS, Luo LZ, Shao JG, Shih CJ, Shoemaker D. Mol. Ecol. 2012; 21(4): 817-833.

Affiliation

Master Program for Plant Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan USDA, ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural & Veterinary Entomology, 1600/1700 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100094, China.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05393.x

PMID

22181975

Abstract

We characterized patterns of genetic variation in populations of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta in China using mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear microsatellite loci to test predictions as to how propagule pressure and subsequent dispersal following establishment jointly shape the invasion success of this ant in this recently invaded area. Fire ants in Wuchuan (Guangdong Province) are genetically differentiated from those found in other large infested areas of China. The immediate source of ants in Wuchuan appears to be somewhere near Texas, which ranks first among the southern USA infested states in the exportation of goods to China. Most colonies from spatially distant, outlying areas in China are genetically similar to one another and appear to share a common source (Wuchuan, Guangdong Province), suggesting that long-distance jump dispersal has been a prevalent means of recent spread of fire ants in China. Furthermore, most colonies at outlier sites are of the polygyne social form (featuring multiple egg-laying queens per nest), reinforcing the important role of this social form in the successful invasion of new areas and subsequent range expansion following invasion. Several analyses consistently revealed characteristic signatures of genetic bottlenecks for S. invicta populations in China. The results of this study highlight the invasive potential of this pest ant, suggest that the magnitude of international trade may serve as a predictor of propagule pressure and indicate that rates and patterns of subsequent range expansion are partly determined by the interplay between species traits and the trade and transportation networks.

Language: en