Fire ants love a disturbance. Plow up some ground just about anywhere in the South, and chances are the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, will take over from native ant species. That’s why S. invicta, a major invasive pest, is found in subdivisions, shopping centers and other areas where the natural environment has been disturbed.

But is it the human-caused disturbance that makes S. invicta have such a negative impact on other ants, or something about the ant itself? One school of thought holds that the reason many invasive species succeed is that they are superior to other species and can outcompete them no matter what the situation.

Image A nest of fire ants, disturbance specialists, in Tallahassee, Fla. Credit... Walter R. Tschinkel

A large study by Joshua R. King and Walter R. Tschinkel of Florida State shows that for fire ants, at least, human disturbance of the environment is the main force behind their negative impact.