Ants are diverse and widespread. They are ecologically and economically important. They making a living in a variety of ways in almost every corner of the earth. All of this makes for ants being fascinating study organisms. We do research in several areas of ecology using ants like species interactions, climate change ecology, invasion ecology, and trophic ecology.
Relevant publications:
- Resasco J, Burt MA, Orrock JL, Haddad NM, Shoemaker D, and Levey DJ (2023). Transient effects of corridors on polygyne fire ants over a decade. Ecological Entomology 48: 263– 268.
- Burt M, Resasco J, Haddad NM, and Whitehead SR (2022). Ants disperse seeds farther in habitat patches with corridors. Ecosphere e4324.
- Roeder KA, Penuela Useche V, Levey DJ, and Resasco J (2021) Testing effects of invasive fire ants and disturbance on ant communities of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Ecological Entomology 46: 964–972.
- Resasco J and Fletcher RJ Jr (2021) Accounting for connectivity alters the apparent roles of spatial and environmental processes on metacommunity assembly. Landscape Ecology. in press.
- Resasco J, Haddad NM, Shoemaker DD, Orrock JL, Brudvig LA, EI Damschen, Tewksbury JJ, and Levey DJ (2014) Landscape corridors can increase invasion by an exotic species and reduce diversity of native species. Ecology 95: 2033–2039.
- Resasco J, Pelini SL, Stuble KL, Sanders NJ, Dunn RR, Diamond SE, Ellison AM, Gotelli NJ, and Levey DJ (2014) Using historical and experimental data to reveal warming temperature effects on ant assemblages. PLoS ONE 9(2): e88029.
- Resasco J, Porter SD, Sanders NJ, and Levey DJ (2014) Assessing the effects of sodium on fire ant foraging in the field and colony growth in the laboratory. Ecological Entomology 39: 267-271.
- Resasco J, Levey DJ, and Damschen EI (2012) Habitat corridors alter trophic position of fire ants. Ecosphere 3: art. 11.