Invasive species

Abstract
Fire ants belong to the genus Solenopsis (Drees, 2002). The imported fire ant crossed the borders of North America in the late 1930s. Almost 70 years later, its colonies had spread and infested in 310 million acres of the states of North America (Wojcik et al., 2001). A decrease in its rate of spread has been noted in the past decade. However, it is estimated that its populations are going to expand not only the northward, but also the southward to Mexico and the Caribbean (Wojcik et al., 2001). The imported fire ant was named after its painful sting which causes a sensation of being burned by fire. It is a scavenger and a predator of pests and invertebrates, and it protects its nest from intruders with the aid of its sting. Their sting victims include wildlife or people, who involuntarily might disturb the peacefulness of its nest.
Keywords: fire ant, imported, invasive, species.
Due to their high aggressive attitude, 30% of the people who reside in the fire ant infested regions are stung annually (Wojcik et al., 2001). Their venom might put a small percentage of those people, around 1%, in danger because of their high sensitivity (Drees, 2002). As a consequence, not only do these bites impose a deadly risk on people but they also cost millions in medical expenses. Moreover, they affect the biodiversity of the infested regions as they are higher in the food hierarchy. This entails beneficial invertebrates and arthropods, whose populations they are found to decrease significantly.

In particular, studies have shown that the species richness in those areas and the number of arthropods were found 30% and 70% lower, respectively (Wojcik et al., 2001). As a result, the food chain is disturbed. Also, the populations of native ant species have been found to increase dramatically, possibly because their enemies or competitive arthropods are eliminated by the fire ants (Wojcik et al., 2001). As far as mammals are concerned, they are susceptible to fire ant stings, and the result is often death. According to an experiment on the ant’s effect on baby cottontail rabbits, it was found that the babies suffered a high percentage of 33%-75% mortality due to fire ant stings (Wojcik et al., 2001). Reptiles are also thought to be vulnerable (Forys, Allen & Wojcik, 1997). Nevertheless, research is insufficient at present. What is more, studies have concluded that ground-nesting birds, such as bobwhites, cliff swallows and water birds, are highly vulnerable (Pedersen, Grant, & Longnecker, 1996). A serious decline in the above-mentioned species populations was observed in the ant-infested areas (Wojcik et al., 2001). Furthermore, water bird nest mortality was as high as 100% (Wojcik et al., 2001). Last but not least, studies about snails showed that when they come in close contact with fire ants, their population is almost radically eliminated (Wojcik et al., 2001).
References
Drees, B. (2002) Managing Red Imported Fire Ants in Wildlife Areas, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Retrieved from https://fireant.tamu.edu/files/2014/03/ENTO_019.pdf
Forys, E., Allen C & Wojcik D. (1997). The potential for negative impacts by red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) on listed herpetofauna, mammals, and invertebrates in the Lower Florida, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/
Pedersen, E, Grant E, & Longnecker M. (1996) Effects of red imported fire ants on newly hatched northern bobwhite. The Journal of Wildlife Management. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/3802051
Wojcik D. et al. (2001) Red Imported Fire Ants: Impact on Biodiversity, American Entomologist. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ae/article-pdf/47/1/16/18740983/ae47-016.pdf