Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (2 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2024)

The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is a facultative scavenger that opportunistically consumes both live prey and carrion. Despite its stature as a widespread and disruptive invader, how it interacts with other arthropods remains incompletely understood; published studies report a wide range of impacts on non-ant arthropods. Here, we examine interspecific and intraspecific variation in susceptibility of different arthropods to predation by the Argentine ant. We used mesh-covered enclosures containing different arthropods to measure susceptibility to predation. Mesh screens permitted Argentine ants to move in and out of the cages, but mesh size was too small to permit escape of other arthropods. For four different arthropod taxa, the percent killed by the Argentine ant after 24 h was as follows: roaches (25%), crickets (70%), wax moth larvae (100%), and harvester ants (100%). For these same arthropods, L. humile consumed carrion and killed prey to a similar degree, indicating the importance of scavenging in general and, in particular, for arthropods that the Argentine ant can’t readily subdue as prey. In a second experiment, we found that increasing body size protected crickets from ant predation. These findings provide experimental evidence for interspecific and intraspecific variation in susceptibility to predation by the Argentine ant and provide a potential framework for understanding the contrasting impacts resulting from this invasion. Our results further illustrate the importance of scavenging for ant invasions.

    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2023)
    We recently discovered that some bacteriophages establish a nucleus-like replication compartment (phage nucleus), but the core genes that define nucleus-based phage replication and their phylogenetic distribution were still to be determined. Here, we show that phages encoding the major phage nucleus protein chimallin share 72 conserved genes encoded within seven gene blocks. Of these, 21 core genes are unique to nucleus-forming phage, and all but one of these genes encode proteins of unknown function. We propose that these phages comprise a novel viral family we term Chimalliviridae. Fluorescence microscopy and cryoelectron tomography studies of Erwinia phage vB_EamM_RAY confirm that many of the key steps of nucleus-based replication are conserved among diverse chimalliviruses and reveal variations on this replication mechanism. This work expands our understanding of phage nucleus and PhuZ spindle diversity and function, providing a roadmap for identifying key mechanisms underlying nucleus-based phage replication.
      Cover page: Identifying the core genome of the nucleus-forming bacteriophage family and characterization of Erwinia phage RAY
      Top