title: Niche differentiation and fine-scale projections for Argentine ants based on remotely sensed data.
abstract: Modeling ecological niches of species is a promising approach for predicting the geographic potential of invasive species in new environments. Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) rank among the most successful invasive species: native to South America, they have invaded broad areas worldwide. Despite their widespread success, little is known about what makes an area susceptible--or not--to invasion. Here, we use a genetic algorithm approach to ecological niche modeling based on high-resolution remote-sensing data to examine the roles of niche similarity and difference in predicting invasions by this species. Our comparisons support a picture of general conservatism of the species' ecological characteristics, in spite of distinct geographic and community contexts.
authors.affiliation: Department de Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Girona, Catalonia, Spain. nuri.roura@udg.es
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roura-Pascual
authors.forename: Andrew V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McNyset
authors.forename: Crisanto
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pons
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Touyama
authors.forename: Alexander L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gascon
authors.forename: A Townsend
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Peterson
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D007564:Japan; D008954:Models, Biological; D009656:North America; D011174:Portugal; D013020:South America; D013030:Spain