Abstract:

【Objective】 The influence of red imported fire ant (RIFA) on ant community in different distances around separate mound in mowing wasteland was studied in this paper. 【Method】 The dynamics of species and abundance of ants which in different distances around separate mound of RIFA were investigated by using pitfall and bait traps, and the principal component analysis method and diversity indexes were used to probe into the influence of RIFA on the diversity of ant community. 【Results】 The results indicated that the competition was furious between RIFA and native ants, the influence of RIFA on the diversity of ant communities at short distance was more obvious than at long distance around mound in both small and big mounds. As the infested time went on, the number of RIFA foragers became less and less. The number of all ant foragers and predominant index of ant community in 1 m of small mound increased, species richness, diversity index and evenness index of ant community decreased in June with a high proportion (45.02%) and in August with a low proportion (16.01%) of RIFA forgers. While in 1 m and 3 m of big mound, as the infested time went on, the number of RIFA foragers decreased at first and became more and more later. With a low proportion (48.36%, 1 m, June; 34.06%, 3 m, July) and a high proportion (89.94%, September, 1 m; 59.52%, September, 3 m) of RIFA forgers in big mound, the predominant index of ant community increased, diversity index and evenness index of ant community decreased. Principal component analysis also indicated that the ant species of begetting amount fluctuation and their changing rule.【Conclusion】The impact of invasion of RIFA in wasteland on the diversity of ant communities in short distance around mound was obviously. The high proportion of RIFA forgers in short distance around mounds in both small and big mounds, the species richness and the number of individuals of native ants, the predominant index of ant community increased, diversity index and evenness index of ant community decreased.

Key words: Solenopsis invicta Buren, separate mound, different distance, ant community, diversity