#Anoplolepis gracilipes

[pepikhipik]

Záhada „žlutých bláznivých mravenců“ vyřešena

Mravenci Anoplolepis gracilipes patří ke stovce nejproblematičtějších invazivních druhů světa. Ve svých nepůvodních oblastech dokážou vytvářet superkolonie, jejichž rychlost šíření - tři metry denně - je dechberoucí. Pomáhá jim v tom mimo jiné i krajně exotický způsob určení pohlaví, který si vyvinuli. Jejich samečkové jsou chiméry. Mravencům to zřejmě zajišťuje výhodu při invazích na nová území.

Zdroj: Časopis Vesmír

[blooddrownedhunter]

So apparently, at 1:35 AM in the morning, I have found a real life connection for an enemy type in Elden Ring.

Ok, so yknow the giant ants in the Ainsel River Well? You know how they spray acid out their butts and it hits like a b*tch? (TBF what acid wouldn’t? lol) Well, apparently there’s a real life species of ants that actually does that! (Disclaimer: idk if any of the big lore dogs in the yard have found this out, but it is a small thing, so… yeah 😂)

Anyways, they’re called, and I ain’t making this up, Yellow Crazy Ants. (Scientific name: Anoplolepis gracilipes)

And get this, the acid they spray out of their butts?

Isn’t the item in the game that spawns near their areas called “Formic Rock”? Lemme look it up…

It is!

[theperfectlifeformx]

Hello Sir. Tell me your favorite species of ant Right Now Please. I can bribe you with some Wine if I have to.

As much as I appreciate the bribe, you have no need to.

I'm particularly fond of the Anoplolepis Gracilipes, otherwise known as the 'Yellow Crazy Ant'.

They are an invasive species of ant, causing harm to their environments and taking over habitats. Moves erratically when disturbed; has long legs and antennae. They also may cause humans eye and skin irritation.

Their introduction to new habitats are often completely accidental, which I find amusing. Sounds a lot like myself.

[entomoblog]

Chez les fourmis, la découverte de vraies chimères

CHRONIQUE. Une équipe européenne vient de montrer que chez la fourmi folle jaune, les mâles présentent des cellules de deux lignées génétiques totalement distinctes : une première.

  Nathaniel Herzberg

Publié le 07 mai 2023 à 06h00, modifié le 09 mai 2023

  Obligate chimerism in male yellow crazy ants | Science, 06.04.2023 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf0419

  A new mode of reproduction in animals

Multicellular organisms typically develop from a single cell into a collection of cells that all have the same genetic material. Darras et al. discovered a deviation from this developmental hallmark in the yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes. Males of this species are all chimeras, a collection of haploid cells with only maternal or paternal genetic material (see the Perspective by Kronauer). These chimeras develop from fertilized eggs in which parental nuclei divide independently. Genetic analyses show that this unusual mode of reproduction is probably the result of a genetic conflict between two co-occurring lineages. —DJ

Bernadette Cassel's insight:

  Sur le même sujet

  L'étrange génome des fourmis jaunes folles représente une première dans le domaine de la biologie - De www.gurumed.org - 14 avril, 17:09

[thebourisbox]

Yellow crazy ant males have two sets of DNA

See on Scoop.it - Design, Science and Technology

Multicellular organisms typically develop from a single cell into a collection of cells that all have the same genetic material. A research team now discovered a deviation from this developmental hallmark in the yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes. Males are chimeras of haploid cells from two divergent lineages: R and W. R cells are overrepresented in the males’ somatic tissues, whereas W cells are overrepresented in their sperm. Chimerism occurs when parental nuclei bypass syngamy and divide separately within the same egg. When syngamy takes place, the diploid offspring either develops into a queen when the oocyte is fertilized by an R sperm or into a worker when fertilized by a W sperm. This study reveals a mode of reproduction that may be associated with a conflict between lineages to preferentially enter the germ line.

Read the full article at: phys.org

[hk2int]

A lot happening here :) A crab spider (Thomisus) caught an Asian Honeybee (Apis cerana), Yellow Crazy Ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) are taking part in the meal, and there’s a Freeloader Fly (Milichiidae) that I only saw when developing the pictures later :D

[botanyone]

Ants can be the villains of conservation

Ants can be the villains of conservation https://ift.tt/TM3PFbj Ants are not always heroes. Invasive ants are a significant threat to global biodiversity. Alba Costa and colleagues conducted a study on the island of Mahé, Seychelles, into how two common invasive ant species affect the pollination and reproduction of native plants in restoration projects. They found that the Yellow Crazy Ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) and White-Footed Ant (Technomyrmex albipes) deter flying pollinators from landing on plants, disrupting pollination networks. Yellow Crazy Ant. Image: Canva. While ants can be pollinators, they can also harm plants by preventing pollination. They can eat reproductive organs without contributing to pollination, and they can also deter pollinators from landing on a plant or else chase them off. Costa and colleagues conducted a combination of ant exclusion experiments and pollinator observations to see what was going on. They staked out plants on eight granitic inselbergs. ‘Inselberg’ comes from the German for island mountain. On four of the inselbergs, ecologists were restoring sites, and the other four remained as invaded control sites. Inselbergs can be quite short, but the tops can still be distinct from the terrain they rise up from. That means native plants on Seychelles’ inselbergs rely primarily on flying visitors for pollination. The scientists found that the invasive ants don’t reduce pollinators’ visits but change what they do once they arrive. Costa and colleagues write: Our visitation data showed that the presence of ants is not deterring pollinators from approaching plants and visiting one flower, which means that the number of visits is unaffected by ants. In the absence of ants, flying pollinators will continue their foraging bout and probe neighbouring flowers. Ants appear to disrupt such foraging bouts as the numbers of probed flowers declines in the presence of invasive ants. This change in foraging behaviour may be triggered by aggressive behaviour of the ants directed at flying pollinators (Junker et al., 2007) or possibly through indirect interactions such as resource competition (Lach, 2005) Costa et al. 2023 As a result of the curtailed visits, the plants suffer reduced fruit set. That, in turn, leaves fewer seeds for the next generation. Costa and colleagues emphasise the importance of their study in understanding plant-animal interactions in restoration projects. They write: Our results showed that the frequency of flower visits and fruit set in the presence of invasive ants did not vary with restoration status, which indicates that the impact of invasive ants on pollinator foraging behaviour and plant reproductive performance was not affected by the removal of non-native plants in inselberg plant communities. Previously, it was shown that pollination resilience and function are reduced in unrestored inselberg communities dominated by non-native plants (Kaiser-Bunbury et al., 2017). Costa et al. 2023 The research shows invasive ants can have long-term impacts, even when restoration efforts begin in an ecosystem. READ THE ARTICLE Costa, A., Heleno, R., Freide, E.F., Dufrene, Y., Huckle, E. and Kaiser-Bunbury, C.N. (2023) “Impacts of invasive ants on pollination of native plants are similar in invaded and restored plant communities,” Global Ecology and Conservation, 42(e02413), p. e02413. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02413. The post Ants can be the villains of conservation appeared first on Botany One. via Botany One https://botany.one/ March 02, 2023 at 09:27PM

[crow-n-draws]

Day 5! Anoplolepis gracilipes, or Yellow Crazy Ants! I’ve been watching a lot of AntsCanada, and was enchanted by the adventures of their Golden Empire.

[straightlightyagami]

Every year, millions of Christmas Island red crabs, endemic to Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling Islands, migrate from the forests to the coast to mate. There were once about 43.7 million red crabs on Christmas Island but their numbers have gone down due to the introduction of the yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes).

[hermitsandwitches]

@antscanada a tribute to the Yellow Crazy Ants (Anoplolepis Gracilipes) aka The Golden Empire. #art #tribute #empire #antscanada #yellow #biologie #nature #ologies #illustration #youwillbemissed (at Island of Montreal) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxzxIo0HOh0/?igshid=1clxb8q5ampk5

[usfwspacific]

Do You Have What It Takes?

Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is 750,000 square miles from anywhere.

More than 15 species of birds rely on the refuge for safe nesting sites, including three species of boobies, sooty terns, greyback terns, red-tailed and white-tailed tropic birds, greater frigatebirds and several species of shorebirds. 

Other than the birds, the only residents of the island are small teams of volunteers who are working to save the birds from invasive species.

Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge provides one of the only rat free, safe nesting places for seabirds and shorebirds in the Pacific Remote Islands. Or it did,  before the yellow crazy ants invaded.

Yellow crazy ant swarm a red-tailed tropic bird. Photo credit: Stefan Kropidlowski/USFWS

Yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) were most likely brought to the island unintentionally by humans. When the ants arrived on Johnston Atoll they quickly began to spread and wreak havoc on the thousands of nesting seabirds.

When yellow crazy ants invade, their numbers increase to such a high density they swarm and overrun anything in their path. Seabirds nesting on the ground are vulnerable to these swarms.  The ants spray formic acid onto the birds and chicks which causes severe damage to the birds’ eyes ranging from swelling to blindness.

In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started a project to eradicate yellow crazy ants from Johnston Atoll NWR.Crews of staff and volunteers would travel to Johnston Atoll for six months at a time to eradicate the ants and protect the seabirds. 

The Crazy Ant Strike Teams were born!

Crew of Cast XIV

Building upon the eradication efforts of CAST crews before them, each crew works towards a goal of complete eradication of Yellow Crazy Ants.

 Since 2010, the ants have been reduced by over 98%.  

 CAST crews also work to restore the natural habitat of Johnston Atoll. The crews propagate three native plant species (Scaevola taccada, Cordia subcordata, and Tournefortia argentea) caring for them first in the nursery then in the hardening area and finally as out plantings in the refuge.

The crews may give up 8 months of their lives, communication with friends and family, and fresh food, but they gain a life changing experience and the chance to help save sea birds for future generations. 

See Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge through the eyes of CAST XIV crew member Peter...

Do You Have What It Takes?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument) is seeking four (4) volunteers available from November 5, 2018, through late-June 2019 to work at Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. This expedition is an expansion of the Crazy Ant Strike Team project. A major goal of the work effort remains the eradication of the Yellow Crazy Ant (YCA), Anoplolepis gracilipes, but a greater emphasis is now being placed on seabird and other biological resource monitoring.   

For more information please read the position description.

[wildernessphotos]

Tiny Game of Thrones: the workers of yellow crazy ants can act like lazy wannabe queens. So we watched them fight

Tiny Game of Thrones: the workers of yellow crazy ants can act like lazy wannabe queens. So we watched them fight

Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Pauline Lenancker, James Cook University and Lori Lach, James Cook UniversityThe invasive ant world is a competitive one, rife with territorial battles and colony raids. And yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes), one of the world’s worst invasive species, have an especially interesting trait: they’re the only invasive ant known to have workers who can…

[jualobatfoggingdijakartabarat]

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[laflechanet]

Nueva noticia publicada en LaFlecha

New Post has been published on https://laflecha.net/la-lista-roja-anuncia-la-extincion-del-murcielago-de-la-isla-de-navidad/

La Lista Roja anuncia la extinción del murciélago de la Isla de Navidad

Las especies de fresno más extendidas y valiosas de América del Norte están al borde de la extinción debido a un escarabajo invasor que está diezmando sus poblaciones. Asimismo, la pérdida de áreas silvestres y la caza furtiva están contribuyendo a la disminución de cinco especies de antílopes africanos, de acuerdo con la última actualización de la Lista Roja de Especies Amenazadas de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN, por sus siglas en inglés).

“Nuestras actividades como seres humanos están empujando a las especies al borde de la extinción”, dice Inger Andersen

Este documento, que incluye ahora 87.967 especies, de las cuales 25.062 están en peligro de extinción, también revela un dramático declive de saltamontes y milpiés endémicos de Madagascar, y la extinción del murciélago de la Isla de Navidad.

“Nuestras actividades como seres humanos están empujando tan rápidamente a las especies al borde de la extinción que a los conservacionistas se les hace imposible evaluar las disminuciones en tiempo real”, afirma Inger Andersen, directora general de la UICN.

Según esta organización, nuestro planeta necesita acciones urgentes a escala global, basadas en los datos de la Lista Roja, para asegurar la supervivencia de las especies y un futuro sostenible.

“Incluso aquellas especies que creíamos abundantes y seguras –como los antílopes en África o los fresnos en EE UU– se encuentran ahora ante un inminente peligro de extinción. Y aunque las medidas de conservación funcionan, la conservación de los bosques, las sabanas y otros ecosistemas de los que dependemos para nuestra supervivencia y desarrollo, no se les da la suficiente prioridad de financiación”, añade Andersen.

Cinco especies de antílopes en declive

Cinco especies de antílopes africanos están disminuyendo drásticamente como resultado de la caza furtiva

Aunque el estado de la mayoría de las especies de antílopes permanece inalterado, cinco especies de antílopes africanos –cuatro de los cuales fueron previamente evaluados como de “preocupación menor”– están disminuyendo drásticamente como resultado de la caza furtiva, la degradación del hábitat y la competencia con el ganado doméstico.

Esta disminución refleja una tendencia a la baja más amplia para los grandes mamíferos africanos por cuanto compiten con la creciente población humana por el espacio y los recursos.

“Los antílopes han ido disminuyendo a medida que las poblaciones humanas continúan creciendo, despejando tierras para la agricultura, explotando de forma no sostenible la carne de animales silvestres, expandiendo sus asentamientos, extrayendo recursos y construyendo nuevos caminos”, dice David Mallon, copresidente del grupo especialista de la Comisión de Supervivencia de Especies de la UICN en antílopes.

Antílope cabrío (Peleacapreolus), origen de la marca deportiva Reebok / IUCN

El antílope más grande del mundo, el eland gigante (Tragelaphus derbianus) –previamente evaluado como “preocupación menor”– es ahora vulnerable. Su población mundial estimada es de entre 12.000 y 14.000 a lo sumo, con menos de 10.000 animales adultos. Esta especie está disminuyendo debido a la caza furtiva para carne de animales silvestres, la invasión de áreas protegidas y la expansión de la agricultura y el pastoreo.

Otras especies también están amenazadas, incluyendo la gacela de Heuglin (Eudorcas tilonura); el cobo o antílopede Lechwe (Kobus leche), y el antílope cabrío (Peleacapreolus) –el origen de la marca deportiva Reebok–. Las razones para la disminución de esta especie son poco conocidas, y pueden incluir aumentos en la caza deportiva ilegal con perros y la caza furtiva para carne de animales silvestres.

Se extingue el murciélago de la Isla de Navidad

La última actualización declara también que el murciélago de la Isla de Navidad (Pipistrellus murrayi) –una especie de murciélago endémica de la Isla de Navidad en Australia– está extinta.

Solo un murciélago de la Isla de Navidad permaneció en agosto de 2009, y desapareció a finales de ese mes

La población de esta especie disminuyó rápidamente y pasó de ser común y extendida en la década de los 80 a entre cuatro y veinte animales en enero de 2009. Solo un individuo permaneció en agosto de 2009, y desapareció a finales de ese mes. Desde entonces, no ha habido ningún rastro de este murciélago, a pesar de las búsquedas exhaustivas en la isla.

Las razones de la disminución no están claras, pero puede haber sido una combinación de una mayor depredación por parte de especies introducidas, los impactos de la hormiga loca amarilla invasora (Anoplolepis gracilipes) en su hábitat y en sus especies de invertebrados de presa, o posiblemente una enfermedad desconocida.

Árboles con alto valor ecológico y económico

Cinco de las seis especies de fresno más prominentes de América del Norte figuran en la Lista Roja de UICN como “en peligro crítico” –a tan solo un paso de la extinción– con una sexta especie evaluada como “en peligro”. Estas especies están siendo diezmadas por el invasor barrenador esmeralda del fresno (Agrilus planipennis).

Tres de ellas –el fresno verde americano (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), el fresno blanco americano (Fraxinus americana) y el fresno negro americano (Fraxinusnigra)– son los más dominantes del país, con cerca de 9.000 millones de árboles en las tierras boscosas de los estados continentales de los EE UU.

El descenso de los fresnos cambiará drásticamente la composición de los bosques silvestres y urbanos

El fresno blanco americano (Fraxinus americana) es uno de los árboles maderables más valiosos de América del Norte por su utilización en la fabricación de muebles, palos de béisbol y palillos de hockey. Los fresnos son un componente clave de los bosques de América del Norte. Proporcionan hábitat y alimento para aves, ardillas e insectos, y apoyan importantes especies polinizadoras como mariposas y polillas.

“Los fresnos son esenciales para las comunidades vegetales de los EE UU y han sido una especie hortícola popular, plantada por millones a lo largo de nuestras calles y jardines”, señala Murphy Westwood, miembro del grupo especialista de la UICN en árboles del mundo, que ha dirigido la evaluación.

Su descenso, que probablemente afecte a más del 80% de los árboles, cambiará drásticamente la composición de los bosques silvestres y urbanos. Debido al gran valor ecológico y económico de estas plantas, y debido a que eliminación de fresnos secos es extremadamente costosa, se están realizando investigaciones en todos los sectores para detener su declive devastador.

Fuente: SINC

[insect-pests-en-blog]

Yellow crazy ant

There is also a different genus of ant called "crazy ants", Paratrechina. The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) is a species of ant, introduced accidentally to northern Australia and Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, that has caused ecological damage in both locations and now found in the northern suburbs of Brisbane. It is colloquially called "crazy" because of its erratic movements when disturbed. Its long legs and antennae make it one of the largest invasive ant species in the world. Like several other invasive ants, such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), the big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala), the little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata), and the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), this is a "tramp ant", a species that easily becomes established and dominant in new habitat due to traits such as aggression toward other ant species, little aggression toward members of its own species, efficient recruitment, and large colony size. Also known as the long-legged ant or Maldive ant, it is on a list of "One Hundred of the World's Worst Invasive Species" formulated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It has invaded ecosystems from Hawaii to Seychelles, and formed supercolonies on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. More details Android, Windows