ESA Annual Meetings Online Program

Hula hoops, high wire acts and acrobats: Ant density and distribution in saltwater marshes

Sunday, November 11, 2012: 4:21 PM
200 D, Floor Two (Knoxville Convention Center)
B. Hesson , Entomology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Linda M. Hooper-Bui , Entomology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Gerald Soderstrum , Entomology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
M. Accardo , Entomology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
R. Strecker , Entomology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Xuan Chen , Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA
We mapped the density and distribution of Acrobat ants in the saltmarshes that fringe the northern Gulf of Mexico. Because they inhabit the hollow stems of the cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, have a series of satellite nests that make up a colony, and are aggressive to non-colony members, we hypothesized that acrobat ants would have a regular distribution in the marsh. We found 3-10 colonies per 20m x 0.5m transect and more than 50 colonies in areas measuring 20 x 20m. Acrobat ant colonies survive 24h of inundation during tropical storm surge events. Our data indicate that these ants act as predators in the ecosystem and are ecologically dominant.
See more of: Ten-Minute Papers, SysEB Section, Conservation, Biodiversity, and Gulf Coast Insects
See more of: Ten Minute Paper (TMP) Oral
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