Impact of the Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), on Biological Control of Salvinia minima (Hydropteridales: Salviniaceae) by Cyrtobagous salviniae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Abstract
A 2-yr study of the impacts of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, on the success of Cyrtobagous salviniae Calder & Sands as a biological control agent of common salvinia, Salvinia minima Baker, was undertaken in southern Louisiana. Floating moats were constructed around 8 release sites where C. salviniae was introduced as a biological control agent. These moats were used to restrict access to the release site by red imported fire ants in half the quadrats. Moating was successful in limiting the number of red imported fire ants in the release sites over the course of the study (P < 0.0001). In 2010, locations where access by red imported fire ants was limited by the presence of a moat had lower biomass (P = 0.04) and higher populations of C. salviniae (P < 0.0001). Our study suggests that the presence of red imported fire ants negatively impacts the success of C. salviniae as a biological control agent.Fue realizado en el sur de Louisiana un estudio de dos años de los impactos de la hormiga roja importada, Solenopsis invicta Buren, sobre el éxito del Cyrtobagous salviniae Calder y Sands como agente de control biológico de Salvinia minima Baker. Fosos flotantes fueron construidos alrededor de ocho sitios de introducción de C. salviniae como agente de contro biológico. Estos fosos fueron empleados para restringir el accesso de S. invicta al sitio de introducción en la mitad de los cuadrantes. El empleo de fosos logró limitar el número de hormigas rojas importadas en los sitios de introducción durante el estudio (p < 0.0001). En el 2010, los locales en donde el accesso de la hormiga roja importada fue limitado por la presencia de un foso tenían menos biomasa (p = 0.04) y poblaciones mayores de C. salviniae (p < 0.0001). Nuestro estudio sugiere que la presencia de la hormiga roja importada afecta negativamente el éxito de C. salviniae como agente de control biológico.
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