Browsing by Author "Lee, Ching-Chen"

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    Analysis of Recent Interception Records Reveals Frequent Transport of Arboreal Ants and Potential Predictors for Ant Invasion in Taiwan
    Lee, Ching-Chen; Weng, Yi-Meng; Lai, Li-Chuan; Suarez, Andrew V.; Wu, Wen-Jer; Lin, Chung-Chi; Yang, Chin-Cheng Scotty (2020-06-08)
    We uncovered taxonomic diversity, country of origin and commodity type of intercepted ants at Taiwanese borders based on an 8 year database of 439 interception records. We found intercepted ants arrived predominantly via timber, a pattern likely reflecting the high domestic demand for foreign timber in Taiwan. The most frequently intercepted species were either arboreal or wood-dwelling ants, raising a concern of these ants constituting a next wave of ant invasion in Taiwan. Further analyses indicate that the taxonomic composition of intercepted ants does not match that of established non-native ant species, suggesting that interception data alone fails to provide adequate power to predict the establishment success of ants. Yet, interception frequency and selected life-history traits (i.e., flexible colony founding mode and general nesting habits) were shown to jointly serve as a practical predictor of the establishment risk of non-native ants. Consistent with other border interception databases, secondary introduction (i.e., species arriving from their introduced ranges instead of their native ranges) also represents a major pathway for transport of invasive ants into Taiwan, suggesting its role in shaping the global invasion of ants. Our findings offer baseline information for constructing a prediction framework for future ant invasions and assist in the decision-making process of quarantine authorities in Taiwan.
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    Free ride without raising a thumb: A citizen science project reveals the pattern of active ant hitchhiking on vehicles and its ecological implications
    Hsu, Feng-Chuan; Hsu, Gen-Chang; Lee, Ching-Chen; Lin, Chung-Chi; Ho, Chuan-Kai; Yang, Chin-Cheng Scotty (Wiley, 2024-04)
    1. Species hitchhiking on human transportation objects such as vehicles can facilitate long-distance dispersal of organisms, allowing increased probabilities of successful biological invasions. In Taiwan, there have been observations of ants actively moving onto motor vehicles (defined as ‘ant hitchhiking’ hereafter), yet no study has explored this phenomenon. 2. Here, we provide the first qualitative and quantitative report on ant hitchhiking behaviour using citizen science data. From 2017 to 2023, 52 cases of ant hitchhiking on vehicles were reported (at least three cases with queen[s] and another eight cases with brood), attributed to nine species. Seven of the nine species were exotic/invasive. Arboreal or semi-arboreal ant species, particularly the exotic black cocoa ant (Dolichoderus thoracicus), accounted for over half of the reported cases. The parking duration of the vehicles on which the ants hitchhiked ranged from several hours to over a month (30 cases occurred within a day). Moreover, more cases were reported in the warmer seasons (spring and summer) than in the colder seasons (fall and winter). 3. To our knowledge, this study represents the first effort to profile active ant hitchhiking on vehicles. We encourage future studies to examine the abiotic and biotic factors that determine the success of hitchhiking events to better predict the spread of exotic/invasive ants and to develop effective management strategies for preventing their biological invasions.
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    Invasion of the little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger, 1863) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Taiwan
    Hsu, Po-Wei; Lee, Ching-Chen; Hsu, Feng-Chuan; Tseng, Shu-Ping; Shih, Chun-Han; Tay, Jia-Wei; Hsiao, Yu-Chun; Yang, Chin-Cheng Scotty; Lin, Chung-Chi (Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre-Reabic, 2022-11)
    The little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata is an invasive species native to Central and South America. We report the establishment of this species in Taiwan, which is also the first confirmed population in the East Asian region. Little fire ants were found at two locations in central Taiwan, separated by approximately 30 km. Genetic and behavioral analyses indicated that the two populations both employ clonal reproduction and showed no aggression towards each other. Results of population genetic analyses indicate that the two populations are most likely derived from a common source population or genetically similar populations.
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    The role of anthropogenic disturbance and invasion of yellow crazy ant in a recent decline of land crab population
    Lee, Ching-Chen; Chiu, Ming-Chung; Shih, Chun-Han; Yang, Chin-Cheng Scotty; Liu, Hung-Chang; Lin, Chung-Chi (2021-06-10)
    The yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes was first reported in Kenting National Park, Taiwan, in the 2000s, raising the concern of this invasive ant's potential effects on the native land crab populations. We investigated the distribution and abundance of A. gracilipes and its adverse effect on the land crab populations at four land crab hotspots within the park. Our survey results indicated that A. gracilipes was widespread and abundant at three of the study sites (Hsiangchiaowan, Shadao, and Natural Spring), while the distribution was much more confined at the fourth site (Houwan). Land crab populations experienced a notable decline at all the study sites except Houwan, indicating an inverse relationship between the population of land crabs and distribution/abundance of A. gracilipes. Combining the results of visual observations, the decline of land crab populations can be attributed, at least partially, to direct attacks by A. gracilipes on land crabs in their natural habitat and during the breeding migration season. Generalized additive model showed that worker abundance of this ant is associated with human disturbance levels, suggesting that anthropogenic disturbance may have contributed to the decline in land crab populations via promoting the abundance of A. gracilipes.