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Impact of the introduced yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes on Bird Island, Seychelles

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Abstract

The introduced yellow crazy ant or long-legged ant Anoplolepis gracilipes was first reported in Seychelles in 1969 and now occurs on at least nine islands in the Central Seychelles. We describe the yellow crazy ant's effects on vegetation and invertebrate communities on one of these, Bird Island; in 2000, Anoplolepis (first reported in 1991) occurred there at densities at least 80 times higher than on other islands in the Central Seychelles. They were associated with high densities of coccid scale insects on foliage, especially of the native tree Pisonia grandis, in some instances causing tree death. Yellow crazy ants on Bird Island also significantly affected invertebrate communities on foliage and on the ground, both in terms of taxonomic composition and the density of specific taxa, apparently causing the local exclusion of some invertebrates.

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Author notes

  1. Katy Holm

    Present address: , 1991 Casa Marcia Cres., Victoria, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nature Seychelles, Victoria, Republic of Seychelles

    Mike Hill, Katy Holm, Terence Vel & Nirmal Jivan Shah

  2. SBC, Republic of Seychelles

    Pat Matyot

Authors
  1. Mike Hill
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  2. Katy Holm
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  3. Terence Vel
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  4. Nirmal Jivan Shah
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  5. Pat Matyot
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Correspondence to Mike Hill.

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Hill, M., Holm, K., Vel, T. et al. Impact of the introduced yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes on Bird Island, Seychelles. Biodiversity and Conservation 12, 1969–1984 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024151630204

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