Invasive fire ants are aggressive predators of ground nesting birds and reptiles and are spreading rapidly throughout tropical and temperate climates. Fire ants have been known to prey on a variety of reptile species, including threatened loggerhead sea turtles. The granular fire ant bait AMDRO® is being used on sea turtle nesting beaches to protect nests and hatchlings from these predators, however no studies have been conducted to thoroughly assess its effect on any reptile species. In this field study, I examined the impact of AMDRO® on hatching and emergence success, body condition, and orientation behavior in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in Juno Beach, Florida, USA. Pesticide granules were placed in a one-foot diameter circle directly above nest chambers during the final 5-10 days of incubation, which is representative of typical field applications of this pesticide on nesting beaches. Two controls were used in this study: cornmeal granules in soybean oil served as the vehicle control, and a second group of untreated control nests were left to incubate naturally, undisturbed. After a natural emergence, hatchlings were collected to calculate a body condition index (BCI). For a subset of the nests, 20 hatchlings were collected to perform orientation assays to assess the hatchlings’ ability to orient correctly toward the ocean, a visually mediated process that could be altered by visual impairments resulting from ADMRO® exposure. Three days following a mass emergence event, nests were excavated to collect hatching and emergence success data. Sand samples were collected to determine if the toxicant persisted in the environment or penetrated the egg chamber. Analyses indicated that the toxicant had no effect on hatchling morphology, hatching success, or emergence success. It also had no effect on the ability of hatchlings to orient toward the ocean. However, the pesticide granules attracted more predators than were seen at control nests. Thus, while AMDRO® might not directly impact reproductive success or hatchling behavior, it had the unanticipated effect of possibly increasing nest vulnerability to predators. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thelohania solenopsae are intracellular pathogens found in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. These pathogens cause detrimental effects to their fire ant hosts. The present study revealed that the midgut and the meconium materials from pupating fourth instar larvae were possible vehicles for the horizontal transmission of the disease. The pathogen was further found to cause a reduction of humeral proteins. In SDS-PAGE stained with silver, several proteins were observed only in controls but not in infected fire ant queens. Different queens were found to have variable proteins reduced due to infection of this pathogen. Furthermore, vitellogenin titers were found to be significantly reduced in infected fire ant queens, although the infection rates of the fat body cells was found to be less than 20%. Finally, although the pathogens did not directly induce apoptosis in infected cells, there were more infected cells undergoing apoptosis than uninfected cells. There was no evidence to support the idea that infected fat body cells became more resistant to apoptosis inducers.

Granular materials are abundant in the natural and industrial environment. Typical granular materials are collections of inert, passive particles in which the constituent grains of the material are macroscopic; thus they fill space, are athermal, and interact through only local contact forces. This definition can be broadened to include non-inert particles as well-active particles-in which the grains of an active granular material possess an internal energy source which drives motion. Active granular materials are found in many areas of the biological world, from cattle stampedes and pedestrian traffic flow, to the subterranean world of ant colonies and their collective motion within the nest. We study the rheology and dynamics of inert granular material, and an active granular system of collections of fire-ants, which together we call matter with granularity. In both of these systems we observe bifurcations in the force and flow dynamics which results from confinement effects of the effectively rigid granular materials. In inert granular systems, the onset of flow among particles that are closely packed together causes them to dilate as particles must separate away from each other to accommodate flow. Dilation is a property unique to matter with granularity and other complex fluids in which particles interact locally and occupy space. We explore how dilation influences the inert granular system in situations of local and global forcing: drag of an immersed intruder and avalanche flow respectively. We next study collections of fire ants which also interact with each other locally through contact forces and exclude volume. We study the construction of, and locomotion within subterranean tunnels by groups of fire ants. We find that the traffic dynamics of ants within confined tunnels are significantly affected by tunnel diameter. Reducing tunnel diameter increases the formation of traffic jams due to the inability of ants to pass each other easily. However, we show that jamming within tunnels may have beneficial effects on subterranean locomotion. Individual ants jam there bodies against the walls of vertical tunnels to resist falling. From physics studies of fire ant mobility in confined spaces, we show that subterranean tunnel size has a significant effect on the stability and mobility of ants within these environments.

Thelohania solenopsae are intracellular pathogens found in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. These pathogens cause detrimental effects to their fire ant hosts. The present study revealed that the midgut and the meconium materials from pupating fourth instar larvae were possible vehicles for the horizontal transmission of the disease. The pathogen was further found to cause a reduction of humeral proteins. In SDS-PAGE stained with silver, several proteins were observed only in controls but not in infected fire ant queens. Different queens were found to have variable proteins reduced due to infection of this pathogen. Furthermore, vitellogenin titers were found to be significantly reduced in infected fire ant queens, although the infection rates of the fat body cells was found to be less than 20%. Finally, although the pathogens did not directly induce apoptosis in infected cells, there were more infected cells undergoing apoptosis than uninfected cells. There was no evidence to support the idea that infected fat body cells became more resistant to apoptosis inducers.

Social insects have complex forms of social organization. Molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of their reproduction are not fully understood. This dissertation investigated the vitellogenin receptor (VgR), short neuropeptide F (sNPF) receptor, and two insulin receptors (InRs) in the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta, focusing on their possible roles in the regulation of queen reproduction. Knowledge of these receptors may provide novel ways to manipulate either reproductive castes or overall reproductive outcome, diminishing the fire ant impact as invasive pest. Fire ant virgin queens have more abundant VgR (SiVgR) transcripts than newly-mated queens, but limited egg formation. To elucidate whether queen maturation involved changes in SiVgR expression, we investigated both virgin and mated queens. In both queens, immunofluorescence analysis of ovaries revealed differential SiVgR localization in early and late stage oocytes; however, mated queens showed higher SiVgR expression than virgin queens. In virgin queens, the SiVgR signal was first observed at the oocyte membrane beginning at day 12 post-emergence, coinciding with the maturation period required before a mating flight. SiVgR silencing in virgins through RNA interference abolished egg formation, demonstrating that SiVgR is involved in queen ovarian development pre-mating. The sNPF and insulin signaling pathways have been implicated in the regulation of food intake and body size, and these peptides also play a gonadotropic role in the ovaries of some insect species. To elucidate the sites of action of the sNPF peptide(s), the sNPF receptor tissue expression and cellular localization were analyzed in the queen brain, subesophageal ganglion (SEG), and ovaries by immunofluorescence. Results suggest that the sNPF signaling cascade may be involved in diverse functions, and the sNPF peptide(s) may act in the brain and SEG as neurotransmitter(s) or neuromodulator(s), and in the ovaries as neurohormone(s). In addition, to elucidate the role of insulin signaling pathway in the fire ant, two putative InRs were cloned. Transcriptional expression analyses show that the receptor abundance was negatively correlated with body size and nutrition status in fire ant immatures. In queens, the expression of InRs in different queen tissues correlates with tissue requirements for queen reproductive physiology and behaviors.

Thesis (M.S.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

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Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-02-09Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:09:03Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 martins_c_me_rcla.pdf: 494549 bytes, checksum: 956ee49fb3cabf6b959eecbb86566527 (MD5) / O gênero Solenopsis tem distribuição cosmopolita, mas espécies do grupo S. saevissima, são nativas da América do Sul e inclui as conhecidas formigas lava-pés. Elas foram introduzidas de forma acidental em diversas regiões biogeográficas do mundo. No Brasil possuem ampla distribuição, mas têm preferência por áreas de atividade humana. São formigas altamente agressivas e são responsáveis por acidentes que podem levar a choques anafiláticos e à morte. As formigas apresentam associações de diferentes tipos com outros organismos, inclusive com bactérias endossimbiontes como a Wolbachia, bactéria intracelular que também infecta as formigas do gênero Solenopsis. No presente trabalho, procurou-se caracterizar as populações de lava-pés (Solenopsis spp.) de ampla área do território brasileiro, analisando o parentesco dessas populações e inferindo sobre sua filogenia. Além disso, foi investigada a presença, frequência e distribuição do endossimbionte Wolbachia em populações de Solenopsis spp. no Brasil. A caracterização das lava-pés foi baseada na análise do gene citocromo oxidase I e em estudos filogenéticos. Observou-se desde completa coerência geográfica, até polifilia para as espécies S. invicta e S. saevissima, o que demonstra claramente a diversidade desse gênero de formigas no Brasil. Existe a possibilidade de ocorrer populações isoladas reprodutivamente, tendo como decorrência processos evolutivos de especiação. Além disso, clados com espécies divergentes agrupadas podem trazer evidências de espécies erroneamente identificadas morfologicamente, presente em bancos de dados. O levantamento da ocorrência de Wolbachia foi baseado no gene wsp do endossimbionte e análises filogenéticas foram realizadas para inferir a história evolutiva dessas bactérias nas populações de lava-pés do país. Foi encontrada uma grande... / The genus Solenopsis has a cosmopolitan distribution, but species of S. saevissima group are native from South America and include the known fire ant. They were accidentally introduced in several countries of the world. In Brazil they have wide distribution with preference for areas of human activity. Ants are highly aggressive and responsible for accidents that can lead to anaphylactic shock and death. The ants have different associations with other organisms, including bacteria endosymbionts such as Wolbachia, intracellular bacteria that also infect the ants of the Solenopsis genus. In this study, we sought to characterize the populations of fire ants (Solenopsis spp.) in a wide area of Brazil, analyzing the relationship of these populations and inferring their phylogeny. Furthermore, we investigated the presence, frequency and distribution of the endosymbiont Wolbachia in those populations of Solenopsis spp. in Brazil. The characterization of fire ants was based on analysis of the cytochrome oxidase I gene and on phylogenetic studies. It was observed that there were complete geographical coherence and polyphyly for the species S. invicta and S.saevissima, which clearly demonstrate the diversity of this genus of ants in Brazil. There is the possibility to occur reproductively isolated populations, leading to evolutionary processes of speciation. Furthermore, clustered clades with divergent species can bring evidences of species wrong morphologically identified, presents in databases. The survey of the occurrence of Wolbachia was based on the wsp gene of the endosymbiont and the phylogenetic analyses were performed to infer the evolutionary history of these bacteria in the populations of fire ants. There was a great diversity of Wolbachia in the genus Solenopsis, with 51% of the analyzed colonies presenting infection and the highest incidence was found in populations from... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Orientador: Odair Correa Bueno / Banca: Ana Eugênia C. Campos Farinha / Banca: Denise Selivon Scheepmaker / Resumo: O gênero Solenopsis tem distribuição cosmopolita, mas espécies do grupo S. saevissima, são nativas da América do Sul e inclui as conhecidas formigas lava-pés. Elas foram introduzidas de forma acidental em diversas regiões biogeográficas do mundo. No Brasil possuem ampla distribuição, mas têm preferência por áreas de atividade humana. São formigas altamente agressivas e são responsáveis por acidentes que podem levar a choques anafiláticos e à morte. As formigas apresentam associações de diferentes tipos com outros organismos, inclusive com bactérias endossimbiontes como a Wolbachia, bactéria intracelular que também infecta as formigas do gênero Solenopsis. No presente trabalho, procurou-se caracterizar as populações de lava-pés (Solenopsis spp.) de ampla área do território brasileiro, analisando o parentesco dessas populações e inferindo sobre sua filogenia. Além disso, foi investigada a presença, frequência e distribuição do endossimbionte Wolbachia em populações de Solenopsis spp. no Brasil. A caracterização das lava-pés foi baseada na análise do gene citocromo oxidase I e em estudos filogenéticos. Observou-se desde completa coerência geográfica, até polifilia para as espécies S. invicta e S. saevissima, o que demonstra claramente a diversidade desse gênero de formigas no Brasil. Existe a possibilidade de ocorrer populações isoladas reprodutivamente, tendo como decorrência processos evolutivos de especiação. Além disso, clados com espécies divergentes agrupadas podem trazer evidências de espécies erroneamente identificadas morfologicamente, presente em bancos de dados. O levantamento da ocorrência de Wolbachia foi baseado no gene wsp do endossimbionte e análises filogenéticas foram realizadas para inferir a história evolutiva dessas bactérias nas populações de lava-pés do país. Foi encontrada uma grande... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The genus Solenopsis has a cosmopolitan distribution, but species of S. saevissima group are native from South America and include the known fire ant. They were accidentally introduced in several countries of the world. In Brazil they have wide distribution with preference for areas of human activity. Ants are highly aggressive and responsible for accidents that can lead to anaphylactic shock and death. The ants have different associations with other organisms, including bacteria endosymbionts such as Wolbachia, intracellular bacteria that also infect the ants of the Solenopsis genus. In this study, we sought to characterize the populations of fire ants (Solenopsis spp.) in a wide area of Brazil, analyzing the relationship of these populations and inferring their phylogeny. Furthermore, we investigated the presence, frequency and distribution of the endosymbiont Wolbachia in those populations of Solenopsis spp. in Brazil. The characterization of fire ants was based on analysis of the cytochrome oxidase I gene and on phylogenetic studies. It was observed that there were complete geographical coherence and polyphyly for the species S. invicta and S.saevissima, which clearly demonstrate the diversity of this genus of ants in Brazil. There is the possibility to occur reproductively isolated populations, leading to evolutionary processes of speciation. Furthermore, clustered clades with divergent species can bring evidences of species wrong morphologically identified, presents in databases. The survey of the occurrence of Wolbachia was based on the wsp gene of the endosymbiont and the phylogenetic analyses were performed to infer the evolutionary history of these bacteria in the populations of fire ants. There was a great diversity of Wolbachia in the genus Solenopsis, with 51% of the analyzed colonies presenting infection and the highest incidence was found in populations from... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Imported fire ants are invasive and cause injury to people, crops, livestock and wildlife. Disturbance may increase abundance and activity of fire ants. However, native grass field buffers established for grassland birds require periodic disturbance. I experimentally tested if fire ant mound density and foraging activity changed after burning and disking in native grass buffers and examined relationships among fire ants, vegetation, and grassland bird and butterfly metrics in undisturbed buffers. In 2008, disking increased mound density and foraging activity, but burning did not. In 2009, disking had no effect, but effects of disking the previous season persisted. Fire ant metrics were not related generally to bird or butterfly metrics. Mound density and foraging activity were related negatively to grass cover and related positively to forbs. Burning had less influence on abundance and activity of fire ants, and may better conserve grassland habitats in areas with fire ants.