Assessing the risk of invasive ants: a simple and flexible scorecard approach.

Abstract

Numerous ant species are being transported around globe through international trade, many of which become invasive. To mitigate the potential impacts of invasive ant species, an assessment system is needed which is simple, can be tailored for specific-user and regional requirements, and has the potential to integrate a variety of additional information. Here we present such a system, which has been used in New Zealand to determine which ant species pose the greatest threat to natural ecosystems. However, the scorecard system could be applied widely around the globe for assessing the threat of invasive ant species