Ants avoid food contaminated with micro- and nanoplastics☆
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12520%2F24%3A43908271" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12520/24:43908271 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124625" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124625</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124625" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124625</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Ants avoid food contaminated with micro- and nanoplastics☆
Original language description
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNP) have recently received particular attention in freshwater and marine ecosystems, but less is known about their impact on terrestrial species. Ants can be used as biological indicators for many types of pollutants and are therefore a good candidate to explore the effects of MNP pollution. In the present study, we investigated the ability of workers from seven colonies of the acrobat ant Crematogaster scutellaris to detect MNP in their food. After two days of starvation, groups of ten ants were tested for their preference toward control and polyethylene-treated solutions. Every 5 min over a total 20 min period, the number of workers feeding on either solution was counted. The results showed that C. scutellaris workers could detect and avoid contaminated food, feeding more often on the uncontaminated solution in the first 10 min. However, after 10 min the food preference was no longer significant between the groups, likely owing to feeding satiation. We then assessed whether this feeding behaviour is sufficient to cause the accumulation of MNP in the ant. We thereby provided a solution containing fluorescent MNP (fMNP) at the same concentration as in the previous experiments. Observation of the ants' mouthparts using fluorescent light microscopy showed that after 10 min dense aggregations of fMNP were visible. Further investigations are needed to understand the mechanisms of detection of MNP by ants, and the accumulation dynamics in ants' bodies. Moreover, the effects of MNP on the integrity and fitness of ant colonies, as well as the potential transfer across terrestrial trophic chains should be explored.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10618 - Ecology
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2024
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Environmental Pollution
ISSN
0269-7491
e-ISSN
1873-6424
Volume of the periodical
360
Issue of the periodical within the volume
neuvedeno
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
7
Pages from-to
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UT code for WoS article
001287594900001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85200153923