The trophic ecology of non-native ants on Round Island, Mauritius

Tercel, Maximillian 2022. The trophic ecology of non-native ants on Round Island, Mauritius. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Summary Non-native ants are implicated in the demise of native species around the world, though their trophic ecology remains poorly understood. Non-native ants have invaded Round Island, a globally significant site of biodiversity conservation located 21 km north-east of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, but it is unclear how they are affecting the unique ecological community found there. To reveal their potential impact, I conducted a meta-analysis into the effects of non-native ants on animal community diversity in relatively undisturbed areas around the world, showing that non-native ants drive diversity declines in local animal communities by approximately 50 % on average (Chapter 2). I then examined the ecological role of non-native ants on Round Island specifically and first determined, using dietary DNA metabarcoding, whether an abundant native omnivore, Telfair’s skink, consumed non-native ants. Skinks do consume ants, though it was unclear to what degree these detections were deliberate or accidental (Chapter 3). I then identified the diet of the 12 most numerous non-native ant species on Round Island using dietary metabarcoding, revealing that all ant species showed unique generalist diet profiles and together consume over 150 species of animals and plants. The diet of the ant community was also driven by seasonal changes in food availability. This presents the first study to date detailing the diet of individual ants at the community level and that a community of generalist non-native species exhibit dietary niche separation (Chapter 4). I compared the diet of native skinks and centipedes with that of non-native ants, finding that skinks are not competing with ants for food, whilst centipedes are (Chapter 5). Overall, our results suggest, through five separate lines of evidence arising from the study, that non-native ants are having a significant impact on the Round Island ecosystem.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Biosciences
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General)
Funders:	NERC
Last Modified:	05 Oct 2023 09:17
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/162944

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