A study published in the journal Ecological Entomology shows never-before-seen photos of two species of ants entangled in plastic. According to the publication, this is one of the first articles to document the impact of environmental pollution on insects.
Although the influence of plastic debris on the marine environment is widely known, as in the case of turtles and mammals, “in terrestrial ecosystems, the plastic entanglement of fauna has been largely ignored”, says an excerpt from the study.
To arrive at the results, the researchers collected 113 ants from 40 different locations on the island of La Palma, in Spain, in 2022.
The insects were captured without direct contact, using Eppendorf tubes placed open in the middle of the path.
Of the 113 ants, three were entangled in fiber, but a laboratory analysis determined that only two were entangled in plastic.
According to the investigation, it was not possible to confirm that the fiber attached to the third ant was synthetic, and therefore it was disregarded.
The animals entangled in the plastic were of the species Lasius grandis It is Monomorium sp. According to the study, the two ants were alive and had no apparent damage caused by the fibers.
The researchers say it’s possible the animals accidentally became entangled while feeding or while transporting the fibers as building material.
Source: CNN Brasil
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