Canary Island ants have discovered an unwanted guest in the form of plastic waste.
During a study of 113 ants collected from La Palma, a volcanic island, scientists observed some ants entangled in plastic fibers. One Lasius grandis ant was trapped in a thin, red fiber, while a Monomorium ant was wrapped in a black fiber. Chemical and physical analyses confirmed that the fibers were made of plastic.
While plastic waste is well-known for its harmful effects on seabirds and marine mammals, it can also pose problems for land-dwelling animals. It can obstruct the digestive systems of camels and cause the death of songbirds. Insects have also been observed interacting with plastics. For example, aquatic caddisfly larvae use small plastic fragments to construct their protective body casings, according to Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden who was not involved in the research. However, there is limited evidence of plastic entangling ants and other small land insects. The La Palma ants are among the first known examples of terrestrial invertebrates ensnared by plastic trash.
2023-10-12 06:00:00
Article from www.sciencenews.org
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