News Release

Global spread of invasive ants

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

In a study on biological invasions, researchers analyzed more than 4,000 border interceptions of ants at air and maritime ports in the United States and New Zealand over a period of nearly 100 years, and found that more than 75% of the invasive species originated from countries where the species had already been introduced, highlighting a mode in which the initial introduction of an invasive species and its subsequent establishment in other areas might drive the global spread of invasive species, according to the authors.

###

Article #18-01990: "Recurrent bridgehead effects accelerate global alien ant spread," by Cleo Bertelsmeier et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cleo Bertelsmeier, University of Lausanne, SWITZERLAND; tel: +41-216924165, +41-78 9323013; e-mail: <cleo.bertelsmeier@unil.ch>


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.