Meeting Abstract
Native ecosystems have been exposed to alterations from invasive species for decades, and the spread of non-native species is likely to continue in the future. Therefore it is important to understand the effects invasive species have on the animals in ecosystems into which they have been introduced. An excellent model system for addressing these questions is that of the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus), which has been dealing with invasive stinging fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) for over 70 years. The presence of these invasive, predatory fire ants at a site has resulted in a number of morphological, behavioral, and physiological changes in the native fence lizards. This includes changes to their immune functions, decreasing some, while increasing or having no effect on others, as compared to lizards from ecologically similar sites which are not yet invaded by fire ants. We seek to discover if any of these immune changes are stimulated in lizards naïve to fire ants by direct exposure to fire ants, either through consumption of the ants, or by the ants stinging the lizards. These are both common routes of fire ant exposure in fence lizards, as the ants are both predator and prey, envenomating lizards via stings, but are also a frequent lizard food source. Understanding what changes in immunity are caused directly by exposure to fire ants, as opposed to evolved over time, will contribute to our understanding of how native species adapt to the presence of invasive species, and how quickly this can occur.
