Amy M. Savage. North Carolina State University. Department of Biology. Education

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1 Amy M. Savage Savage,, PhD North Carolina State University Department of Biology Contact Information North Carolina State University Department of Biology 127 David Clark Labs Raleigh, NC edu Website: Education RiceUniversity, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology PhD Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, May 2011 Advisors: Drs. Jennifer Rudgers and Ken Whitney WesternWashingtonUniversity, Department of Biology M.S. Biology, December 2004 Advisor: Dr. Merrill Peterson The Evergreen State College B.S. June 2002 Advisor: Dr. John Longino Professional Employment North Carolina State University, Department of Biology Post-doctoral doctoral Scholar (July present) Rice University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Full-time instructor ctor (January (January-June 2012)

2 Professional Development National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes Served as a student mentor, representing New Zealand fellows from 2010 program at annual orientation National Science Foundation Advance Program Participant in the 2-day workshop: Negotiating the ideal faculty position in Houston, TX USA September 2010 CaliforniaAcademy of Sciences Participant in the week-long Ant course in ant biology and taxonomy in Cairnes, Australia August 2006 Organization for Tropical Studies Attended the graduate field course in tropical ecology in Costa Rica January- March 2006 Publications Manuscripts in-press, in-review and in-preparation (available upon request) Savage, A.M. In preparation. Can novel mutualisms with native species modify the community-wide consequences of ant invasions? A test using the Anoplolepis gracilipes invasion of the Samoan Archipelago. Ecology. Abstract: Although the ecological importance of positive species interactions has been historically underappreciated relative to that of antagonistic interactions, mutualisms appear to be increasingly likely to influence co-occurring species and communities. These interactions may be particularly important in the context of non-native species invasions, which can have substantial, negative communitywide impacts. For invasive ants, mutualistic associations with plants that bear extrafloral nectaries (EFN) and/or honeydew-excreting insects may play a key role in fueling both the population expansion and the subsequent negative impacts of highly invasive species. However, this nectar subsidy hypothesis has not yet been examined experimentally. In this study, I tested this hypothesis, using the yellow

3 crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) invasion of the Samoan archipelago as a study system. The factors in this plot-level factorial experiment were ant access to a common EFN-bearing shrub (Morinda citrifolia) and nectar levels of the pant. Treatment plots (4x4m) were replicated across sites that had A. gracilipes-dominated ant assemblages (>85% of all ground and plant-foraging ants were A. gracilipes) and those that were not dominated by A. gracilipes (<5% of all ground and plant foraging ants were A. gracilipes). Three and six months after treatment application, I surveyed arthropods on M. citrifolia plants, and sampled plot-wide arthropod communities using sweep nets. I found that arthropod communities were significantly altered by mutualisms between ants and M. citrifolia plants. These effects of the mutualism on co-occurring arthropods were strongest when A. gracilipes dominated local ant assemblages. Additionally, arthropods from different feeding guilds displayed variable responses to experimental manipulations. Specifically, herbivores responded most strongly to manipulations of ant access to plants and detritivores responded most strongly to increasing nectar levels, with the strongest responses for both groups occurring at the plant level. Conversely, carnivore responses were only evident at the plot level, but were strong for manipulations of both ant access and nectar levels. These results demonstrate that positive species interactions (including mutualisms) can strongly influence community-wide ecological dynamics and that there can be substantial communitylevel consequences when these positive associations are disrupted by highly invasive species. Savage, A. M. and J. A. Rudgers. In review. Incorporating a community perspective to studies with shared partners: Interactions among honeydew-producing insects, EFN-bearing plants, and exotic ant guards Annals of Botany (special feature on the diversity, ecology and evolution of ant-plant mutualisms, JL Bronstein, B. Marazzi & S. Koptur (eds.)). Abstract: Mutualisms occur in complex ecological communities. Consequently, the dynamics of partner species are likely to include non-additive effects. We explored possibilities for non-additivity by simultaneously manipulating ants, honeydewproducing insects (HPI) and their extrafloral nectary (EFN)-bearing host plants. We compared sites dominated by the highly invasive ant species, Anoplolepis gracilipes, and sites dominated by less invasive ant species to test the recent hypothesis that invasive ants respond more strongly to mutualist-derived resources than less invasive ant species. We manipulated ant access, HPI, and nectar on the EFN-bearing shrub, Morinda citrifolia at the community (plot) level. We assessed ant and HPI abundances, herbivory and plant growth. To investigate mechanisms, we additionally tracked ant-tending behaviours toward HPI across

4 an experimental gradient of nectar availability. The highly invasive ant species differed from other invader ants in response to mutualist resources. Anoplolepis gracilipes declined strongly when plant nectar was reduced, and did not significantly respond to HPI manipulation. Conversely, less invasive ants increased in abundance when plant nectar was reduced, and decreased when HPI were reduced. Non-additive effects were common and rivalled the magnitude of additive expectations. At sites dominated by A. gracilipes, plants benefited from greater-than-additive effects of ants and HPI, and, while ants or nectar alone increased HPI abundances, together they reduced HPI (negative non-additive effect). At sites dominated by less invasive ants, the presence of HPI switched ant effects on plants from positive to negative, and HPI, rather than plants, showed a greater-than-additive increase when both ants and nectar were present. These results demonstrate that broadening the community context of mutualism studies can reveal important non-additive effects. Further, they add to the growing body of literature suggesting that highly invasive ants have unique responses to carbohydrate-rich food in their introduced ranges. Published articles: Savage, A.M. and K.D. Whitney Mutualistic, trait-mediated indirect interactions in invasions: a highly invasive ant has unique behavioral responses to plant nectar. Ecosphere 2(9): 106. Awarded best student paper of 2011 by the Organization for Tropical Studies. Savage, A.M., S.D. Johnson, K.D. Whitney, and J.A. Rudgers Do invasive ants respond more strongly to carbohydrate availability than co-occurring non-invasive ants? A test along an active Anoplolepis gracilipes invasion front. Austral Ecology 36: Rudgers, J. A., A. M. Savage, and M. Rua Geographic variation in a facultative mutualism alters local arthropod composition and diversity. Oecologia 163: Savage, A.M, J. A. Rudgers, and K. D. Whitney Elevated dominance of extrafloral nectary-bearing plants is associated with increased abundances of an invasive ant and reduced native ant richness. Diversity and Distributions 15: Johnson, S. D., K. C. Horn, A. M. Savage, S. Windhager, M. T. Simmons, and J. A. Rudgers Timing of prescribed burns affects abundance and composition of arthropods in the Texas Hill Country. Southwestern Naturalist 53:

5 Savage, A. M., and M. A. Peterson Mutualism in a community context: the positive feedback between an ant-aphid mutualism and a gall making fly. Oecologia 151: Invited Oral Presentations: Professional Presentations Savage, A. M. Novel mutualisms with native species mediate the community-wide consequences of the Yellow Crazy Ant invasion of Samoa. University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. November 2012 Savage, A. M. Novel mutualisms with native species mediate the community-wide consequences of the Yellow Crazy Ant invasion of Samoa. North Carolina State University, Department of Entomology. September 2012 Savage, A.M. Trait-mediated indirect interactions in species invasions: behavior, ants and plants. OTS annual meeting, La Selva Biological Research Station, Costa Rica. March Savage, A.M. Yellow crazy ants on a sugar high: novel mutualisms with a native species amplify the negative community-wide consequences of an invasive ant. Western Washington University, Department of Biology. October Savage, A.M. Invasive ants on a sugar high: Consequences and mechanisms of the yellow crazy ant invasion of Samoa. Victoria University, Wellington NZ. September Savage, A. M., Yellow crazy ants on a sugar high: consequences for native communities. American Samoa Community College. Tafuna, American Samoa. August Conference Oral Presentations:

6 Savage, A. M. and Dunn, R. R. Urban ants across the Manhattan habitat mosaic: Community structure, nutritional ecology and speciation of highly urbanized ants. Semi-annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Society for the Study of Social Insects (NAS-IUSSI). Greensboro, NC. October Winner of Outstanding oral presentation in Neuroethology, Ecology & Evolution. Savage, A. M. and J. A. Rudgers. Incorporating a community perspective to studies with shared partners: Interactions among honeydew-producing insects, EFNbearing plants, and exotic ant guards. Annual meeting of Ecological Society of America, Portland, OR. August Savage, A.M., K.D. Whitney and J. A. Rudgers. Yellow crazy ant invasion of the Samoan Archipelago: Can novel mutualisms amplify ecological impacts? Rice University-University of Houston Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Symposium.Houston, TX. April Savage, A. M., J. A. Rudgers and K.D. Whitney. Community-level consequences of an ant-plant mutualism change when an invasive ant dominates local ant assemblages. Southeast Ecology and Evolution Conference.Gainesville, FL. March Savage, A. M., K. D. Whitney, and J. A. Rudgers. Anoplolepis gracilipes invasion of the Samoan Archipelago: Can mutualisms with native species amplify communitywide impacts? Texas A&M Ecological Integration Symposium. College Station, TX. March Savage, A. M., J. A. Rudgers, and K. D. Whitney. Yellow crazy ant invasion of the Samoan Archipelago: Can novel mutualisms facilitate community-wide impacts? Southeast Ecology and Evolution Conference.Tallahassee, FL. March Conference Poster Presentations: Savage, A.M., K. D. Whitney, and J.A. Rudgers. Can novel mutualisms with native species modify the community-wide consequences of ant invasions? A test using the Anoplolepis gracilipes invasion of the Samoan Archipelago.Annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America. Austin, TX. August Savage, A. M., K. D. Whitney, and J. A. Rudgers. The invasive ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes modifies the community-wide impacts of a facultative mutualism. Sigma Xi, the

7 scientific research society annual conference. The Woodlands, TX. November Savage, A.M., and M.A. Peterson. Mutualism in a community context: the positive feedback between an ant-aphid mutualism and a gall-making fly. Entomological Society of America, Pacific Branch Annual Meeting, June Savage, A.M. Daily patterns of activity and relative prey intake of the two closely related neotropical ants, Pachycondyla apicalis and Pachycondyla obscuricornis. Organization for Tropical Studies Tropical Science for the 21 st Century Scientific Research Symposium March 2003 Fellowships and Grants: National Science Foundation (~$14,000) Selected as a fellow for the National Science Foundation s East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute June 12-September 15, 2010 to conduct research in the lab of Dr. Phil Lester (Victoria University). I wrote this grant application. Rice University Wray-Todd Fund (~$45,000 per year) Awarded 6 years of graduate fellowship support and tuition waiver from August 2005-May 2011 National Geographic Society ($20,000) Awarded a research grant (together with Ken Whitney and Jennifer Rudgers) to conduct field research on the effects of mutualisms between a native plant, Morinda citrifolia and the invasive ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes on (1) dynamics of the invasion and (2) influences of the invader on the structure of native plant and arthropod communities May 2007-October I wrote this grant application. Southeast Ecology and Evolution Conference Managing Committee ($300) Awarded a travel grant to attendthe Southeast Ecology and Evolution Conference in Gainesville, FL (March 2009). Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society ($400) Awarded a grant-in-aid-of-research to defray travel costs associated with research on the effects of mutualisms between Anoplolepis gracilipes and

8 Morinda citrifolia (described above) December I wrote this grant application. Rice University Dean of Natural Sciences ($3000; $300) Awarded a grant to defray the costs of an Organization for Tropical Studies graduate field course January-March 2006 Awarded a grant to attend the Ant Course in Cairnes, Australia August 2006 Western Washington University Department of Biology (~$25,000 per year) Awarded two academic years (+ one extra quarter) of financial support, including a tuition waiver and stipend as a Teaching Assistant at WesternWashingtonUniversity August 2002-December 2004 Western Washington University Department of Biology Travel Fund ($200; $200) Awarded a grant to attend and present a poster at the Pacific Branch meeting of the Entomological Society of America in Bozeman, MT June 2004 Awarded a travel to cover travel expenses that exceeded the Ross Travel Grant attend and present a poster at the Organization for Tropical Studies Tropical Science for the 21 st Century Scientific Research Symposium March 2003 WesternWashingtonUniversity Ross Travel Fund ($400) Awarded aross Travel Grant to attend and present a poster at the Organization for Tropical Studies Tropical Science for the 21 st Century Scientific Research Symposium March 2003 Teaching Experience Spring 2012: Instructor for Animal Behavior lecture and laboratory. Rice University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Fall 2010: Guest lecturer for graduate core course in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: Describing ecological communities: Concepts and Methodologies Spring 2010: Teaching Assistant for Insect Biology Lecture and Lab-Rice University

9 Spring 2009: Teaching Assistant for Plant Diversity Lecture and Lab-Rice University Spring 2007: Teaching Assistant for Insect Biology Lecture and Lab-Rice University Fall 2006: Teaching Assistant for Animal Behavior Lecture-Rice University Spring 2004; Spring 2005: Lead Teaching Assistant for Biology 101: Introduction to Biology Laboratory (non-majors)-western Washington University Fall 2003 Winter 2004; Fall 2004-Spring 2005: Teaching Assistant for Biology 204: Introduction to Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratory (majors) (lead Teaching Assistant Winter and Fall 2004)-Western Washington University Winter Spring 2003: Teaching Assistant for Biology 205: Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory (majors)-western Washington University Fall 2002; Spring 2005: Teaching Assistant for Biology 101: Introduction to Biology Laboratory (non-majors)-western Washington University Awards North American Chapter of the International Society for the Study of Social Insects (NAS-IUSSI)\ Awarded best oral presentation in Neuroethology, Ecology & Evolution Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS/OET; $500): Awarded the best student paper of 2011 for Savage and Whitney (2011). Rice University Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology ($100; $200) Named the Best Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Rice University. Awarded the Peter Savvas Nelson award , which is awarded to the current graduate student in Ecology andevolutionary Biology that demonstrates formidable knowledge of their chosendiscipline and a strong passion towards pursuing a meaningful andsubstantial contribution to science. Simultaneously, while striving forpersonal excellence, the chosen

10 candidate should radiate an unpromptedloyalty and compassion in their daily interactions that results in theimprovement of the lives of others. Society Membership: Ecological Society of America Entomological Society of America Graduate Women in Science Sigma Xi the Scientific Research Society Referee for Scientific Journals: Ecology Journal of Ecology Oecologia Biotropica Biological Invasions Botanical Journal of the Linnaean Society Myrmecological News Professional Service