A5086985020- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Plant and animal studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Urban Green Space and Health
- Conservation, Ecology, Wildlife Education
- Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Marine and fisheries research
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Entomological Studies and Ecology
- Tardigrade Biology and Ecology
- Urban Heat Island Mitigation
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
California State University, Dominguez Hills
2013-2024
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
2016-2024
The Nature Conservancy
2023
Occidental College
2014
University of San Diego
1969-2006
Gettysburg College
1999
University of Colorado Boulder
1999
Summary Aim This is the first comprehensive account of biogeography ants transferred and at least temporarily established outside their native habitat. Location Using museum literature records, I distributions ant species. Methods used taxonomic functional groups to assess how geographical spread as a species affected by taxonomy life history. Results 147 in forty‐nine genera have been recorded The proportion similar number each subfamily. species‐rich subfamily Myrmicinae contains nearly...
Abstract Although many taxa show a latitudinal gradient in richness, the relationship between latitude and species richness is often asymmetrical northern southern hemispheres. Here we examine pattern of across 1003 local ant assemblages. We find asymmetry, with hemisphere sites being more diverse than sites. Most this asymmetry could be explained statistically by differences contemporary climate. Local was positively associated temperature, but negatively (although weakly) temperature range...
Our world is becoming increasingly urbanized with a growing human population concentrated around cities. The expansion of urban areas has important consequences for biodiversity, yet the abiotic drivers biodiversity in ecosystems have not been well characterized most diverse group animals on planet, arthropods. Given their great diversity, comparatively small home ranges, and ability to disperse, arthropods make an excellent model studying which factors can accurately predict biodiversity....
Abstract Aim To use a fine‐grained global model of ant diversity to identify the limits our knowledge in context climate change. Location Global. Methods We applied generalized linear modelling database local assemblages predict species density ants globally. Predictors evaluated included simple variables, combined temperature × precipitation biogeographic region, elevation, and interactions between select variables. Areas planet identified as beyond reliable prediction ability were those...
Abstract Local community structure is shaped by processes acting at local and landscape scales. The relative importance of drivers operating across different spatial scales difficult to test without observations regional or latitudinal gradients. Cities exhibit strong but predictable environmental gradients overlaying a mosaic highly variable repeated habitat types within constrained area. Thus, cities present unique opportunity explore how both factors influence biotic communities. We used...
Abstract Biological invasions are generally thought to occur after human aided migration a new range. However, activities prior may also play role. We studied here the evolutionary genetics of introduced populations invasive ant Wasmannia auropunctata at worldwide scale. Using microsatellite markers, we reconstructed main routes introduction species. found three introduction, each them strongly associated history and trading routes. demonstrate overwhelming occurrence male female clonality...
I compare the sizes of non-native and native ants to evaluate how worker size may be related ability a species invade new habitats. 78 ant belonging 26 genera with congeneric species; are larger than in 22 genera. Ants were sorted by into fighting nonfighting groups, based on observations interspecific interactions other species. In all monomorphic castes that fight during competition, smaller The engage combat had higher frequency significantly ants. selected Wasmannia auropunctata for...
The urban heat island effect is a worldwide phenomenon that has been linked to species distributions and abundances in cities. However, effects of on biotic communities are nearly impossible disentangle from land cover most cases because hotter sites also have less vegetation more impervious surfaces than cooler within We sampled phorid flies, one the largest, biologically diverse families true flies (Insecta: Diptera: Phoridae), at 30 distributed central Los Angeles Basin, where we found...
What forces structure ecological assemblages? A key limitation to general insights about assemblage is the availability of data that are collected at a small spatial grain (local assemblages) and large extent (global coverage). Here, we present published unpublished from 51 ,388 ant abundance occurrence records more than 2,693 species 7,953 morphospecies local assemblages 4,212 locations around world. Ants were selected because they diverse abundant globally, comprise fraction animal biomass...
Sessile and vagile organisms differ from one another in some fundamental ways, including methods of resource acquisition competition. Ant colonies are typically studied as sessile entities, even though a large fraction ant species frequently relocate their nests the course life history. Little is known about causes consequences nest relocation, but it likely that costs benefits relocation driven by quality, neighborhood competition, or availability. In this paper, we document several cycles...
ABSTRACT The nutritional demands of animals vary by taxon. Across landscapes, communities experience variability in the stoichiometry carbon and nutrients within their resource base. Thus, we expect to contribute spatial variance demographic parameters animal communities. Here, measure how composition a litter‐nesting tropical rainforest ant community is influenced variation environmental relative litter biomass, known predictor density. We found density ants nests were strongly related...
In Neotropical wet forests several species of omnivorous, resource-defending ants, live and forage in close proximity to one another. Although the forest floor is heterogeneous microhabitat food quantity, little known about impact variation upon resource monopoly among ants. We investigated how type influence ants old-growth tropical Caribbean lowlands Costa Rica. measured characteristics at 66 points a 0.5 hectare plot, baited each point with two categories tuna bait. These baits were...
ABSTRACT The leaf litter of tropical wet forests is replete with itinerant ant nests. Nest movement may help ants evade the constraints stress and disturbance increase access to resources. I studied how nest relocation environmental factors explain density, size, growth decoupled relationships among depth, food abundance, availability in a 4‐mo manipulation community litter‐nesting lowland forest Costa Rica. Over 4 mo, 290 1 m 2 treatment control plots were sampled without replacement....
ABSTRACT The stoichiometry of resources may explain bottom‐up regulation higher trophic levels. We tested the effects soil and litter nutrient on invertebrate fauna a Costa Rican tropical rain forest. Animal densities were estimated from 15 sites across phosphorus gradient. density varied considerably, was strongly tied to concentrations. An increase in concentrations corresponded with an equally proportionate animal densities. Natural variation levels can thus serve as predictor highly...
A positive relationship between species richness and productivity is often observed in nature, but the causes remain contentious. One mechanism, ‘more individuals hypothesis’ (MIH), predicts increases monotonically with density, as a function of resource flux. To test MIH, we manipulated abundance community tropical rainforest litter ants measured density responses. unimodal most closely fitted control disturbance (resource removal) treatments contrast to expectations MIH. Resource addition...
Lanchester's laws are mathematical models, originally designed to model military combat, that describe battle outcomes based on the sizes of armies and potencies individual fighting units. The "square law" describes a scenario in which small-sized competitors may use numerical advantage overcome large-sized simultaneous combat. "linear how competitor with units one-on-one combat favor victory when outnumbered. have been suggested as an important regulator interspecific competition social...
Abstract: The decomposition of leaf litter is governed, in part, by invertebrates. In tropical rain forests, ants are dominant predators the and may alter through action a top-down control food web structure. role was investigated Costa Rican lowland forest with two experiments. mesocosm experiment, we manipulated ant presence 50 ambient leaf-litter mesocosms. litterbag gradient Cecropia obtusifolia used to measure rate constants across gradients nutrients, density richness, 27 separate...
Tropical forest canopies house most of the globe's diversity, yet little is known about global patterns and drivers canopy diversity. Here, we present models ant species density, using climate, abundance habitat (i.e. versus litter) as predictors. Ant density positively associated with temperature precipitation, negatively (or non-significantly) two metrics seasonality, precipitation seasonality range. was significantly higher in samples, but this difference disappeared once considered....