title: Chemical warfare among invaders: a detoxification interaction facilitates an ant invasion.
abstract: As tawny crazy ants (Nylanderia fulva) invade the southern United States, they often displace imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). After exposure to S. invicta venom, N. fulva applies abdominal exocrine gland secretions to its cuticle. Bioassays reveal that these secretions detoxify S. invicta venom. Further, formic acid from N. fulva venom is the detoxifying agent. N. fulva exhibits this detoxification behavior after conflict with a variety of ant species; however, it expresses it most intensely after interactions with S. invicta. This behavior may have evolved in their shared South American native range. The capacity to detoxify a major competitor's venom probably contributes substantially to its ability to displace S. invicta populations, making this behavior a causative agent in the ecological transformation of regional arthropod assemblages.
authors: Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2907 Lake Austin Boulevard, Austin, TX 78703, USA.
authors: Edward G
authors: EG
authors: Lebrun
authors: Nathan T
authors: NT
authors: Jones
authors: Lawrence E
authors: LE
authors: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D000862:Ant Venoms / Q000378:metabolism*; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D005088:Exocrine Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D005561:Formates / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000862:Ant Venoms; D005561:Formates; C030544:formic acid