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Fire ants on sea turtle nesting beaches in South Florida, USA, and ST. Croix, USVI

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Date Issued:
2013
Summary:
The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is a South American native introduced in Alabama in the early 20th century. This predatory species has rapidly spread throughout the southeastern US and parts of the West Indies, inflicting great ecological and economic damage. For example, Solenopsis invicta is known to attack the eggs and hatchlings of ground nesting birds and reptiles. The ants swarm into the nests attacking hatchlings and diminishing their chance for survival. My thesis research aimed to survey the distribution of ants on sea turtle nesting beaches in South Florida and St. Croix, USVI, and to evaluate the possible threat of Solenopsis invicta and other predatory ants to sea turtle hatchlings.
Title: Fire ants on sea turtle nesting beaches in South Florida, USA, and ST. Croix, USVI.
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Name(s): Romais, Danielle K., author
Wetterer, James K., Thesis advisor
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Degree grantor
Department of Biological Sciences
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: single unit
Date Created: Fall 2013
Date Issued: 2013
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: Online Resource
Extent: 86 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is a South American native introduced in Alabama in the early 20th century. This predatory species has rapidly spread throughout the southeastern US and parts of the West Indies, inflicting great ecological and economic damage. For example, Solenopsis invicta is known to attack the eggs and hatchlings of ground nesting birds and reptiles. The ants swarm into the nests attacking hatchlings and diminishing their chance for survival. My thesis research aimed to survey the distribution of ants on sea turtle nesting beaches in South Florida and St. Croix, USVI, and to evaluate the possible threat of Solenopsis invicta and other predatory ants to sea turtle hatchlings.
Identifier: FA0004052 (IID)
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.
Subject(s): Biological invasions
Fire ants -- Venom -- Physiological effect
Predation (Biology)
Sea turtles -- Florida -- Mortality
Sea turtles -- St. Croix -- Mortality
Wildlife conservation -- Florida
Wildlife conservation -- St. Croix
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library
Sublocation: Boca Raton, Fla.
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA0004052
Restrictions on Access: All rights reserved by the source institution
Restrictions on Access: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU