Logging Speeds Little Red Fire Ant Invasion of Africa

Here, we document the invasion of equatorial Africa by the little red fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata). Commercial logging and other forms of natural resource extraction have catapulted W. auropunctata into the interior of Gabon at a rate 60 times faster than the unassisted rate we measured over 19...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biotropica 2004-12, Vol.36 (4), p.637-641
Main Authors: Walsh, Peter D., Henschel, Phillipp, Abernethy, Kate A., Tutin, Caroline E. G., Telfer, Paul, Lahm, Sally A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ants
bites and stings
Blindness
Cats
ecological invasion
environmental impact
equatorial Africa
Fauna
Fire ants
Formicidae
Infestation
insect surveys
Invasive species
leopard
Logging
Mammals
National parks
Panthera pardus
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
tropical forests
Wasmannia auropunctata
Western equatorial Africa
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Summary:Here, we document the invasion of equatorial Africa by the little red fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata). Commercial logging and other forms of natural resource extraction have catapulted W. auropunctata into the interior of Gabon at a rate 60 times faster than the unassisted rate we measured over 19 years at the Lope Reserve. We also present photographic evidence suggesting that W. auropunctata is negatively affecting the country's exceptionally rich and intact large mammal fauna.
ISSN:0006-3606
1744-7429
DOI:10.1646/1605