invasivespecies.ucsd.eduHolway Lab Research
Prof. David Holway (UCSD) and his lab investigate factors underlying social insect invasions and influencing invasion success. Learn more about the ongoing projects of the Holway Lab.
Vespula pensylvanica
The introduced yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica, poses a serious threat to endemic Hawaiian arthropods, which have evolved in the absence of social insects. Learn more about the biology of this invasive species.
Linepithema humile
The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is a widespread invasive species native to South America, which displaces native ants throughout its introduced range. Learn more about the biology of this ant.
Links
There are a number of good internet resources on current wasp invasions, invasive predators and invasive social insects (including the Africanized honeybee and social ants).
The introduction of non-native organisms is a leading cause of species imperilment. Through the study of interactions between native and introduced species and the subsequent population-level effects that occur as a result of these novel interactions, a better understanding of the causes and consequences of invasions may be obtained. Invasive species affect native taxa directly and indirectly, and the magnitude of these effects is highly dependent on the history of the recipient community.
Vespula pensylvanica
Among the many problematic invasive social insects, the western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) represents an emerging and harmful introduction. Because Hawaii lacks any native eusocial insects, the invasion of V. pensylvanica poses a potentially devastating threat to the native and largely endemic biota of this region.
A recent immigrant to Hawaii, V. pensylvanica offers an unusual opportunity to study an invasion in progress. Considered an agricultural and recreational pest in its native and introduced ranges, V. pensylvanica is the focus of extensive control programs in Hawaii. In spite of these efforts, there is an incomplete understanding of how endemic Hawaiian communities are affected by this abundant, aggressive and potentially damaging invader.
Linepithema humile
We investigate the factors that influence community-level susceptibility to invasion by Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) and the mechanisms involved in the displacement of native species. In addition to quantifying the ecological effects of invasions, we aim to identify what general factors make a community vulnerable to invasion and what characteristics make a species a good invader.
The Holway Lab
Currently in the Holway lab at the University of California, San Diego, graduate student Erin Wilson and colleagues are using a combination of classic ecological approaches and modern molecular methods (1) to quantify the effect of an invasive yellowjacket on native prey and competitor taxa, and (2) to assess differences in resource exploitation between V. pensylvanica and native solitary wasps.