Eusocial insects are exposed to a wide range of pathogens while foraging outside their nest. We know that opportunistic scavenging ants are able to assess the sanitary state of food and to discriminate a prey which died from infection by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum. Here, we investigate whether a contamination of the environment can also influence the behaviour of foragers, both at the individual and collective level. In a Y-maze, Myrmica rubra ants had the choice to forage on two prey patches, one of which containing sporulating items. Unexpectedly, the nearby presence of sporulating bodies did not deter foragers nor prevent them from retrieving palatable prey. Ant colonies exploited both prey patches equally, without further mortality resulting from foraging on the contaminated area. Thus, a contamination of the environment did not prompt an active avoidance by foragers of which the activity depended primarily on the food characteristics. Generalist entomopathogenic fungi such as M. brunneum in the area around the nest appear more to be of a nuisance to ant foragers than a major selective force driving them to adopt avoidance strategies. We discuss the cost-benefit balance derived from the fine-tuning of strategies of pathogen avoidance in ants.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02817-8 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China.
Embryonic and fetal development can be affected during gestation by exposure to xenobiotics that cross the placenta. Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are emerging contaminants commonly found in indoor environments; however, whether they can cross the placenta and affect placental development remains unexplored. Here, we develop an evaluation system that integrates human biomonitoring, uterine perfusion in pregnant rats, and placental cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
January 2025
Environmental Science and Engineering Department (ESED), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India.
In recent decades, freshwater bodies have experienced significant stress due to the excessive disposal of dyes from textile industries and waste antibiotic discharges from pharmaceutical industries. The continuous disposal of these substances may harm the natural ecosystem and generate antibiotic resistance in living organisms. Conventional treatment facilities are inadequate in treating these contaminants effectively, leading to a focused interest in advanced technologies, such as electrooxidation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
January 2025
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, 826004, Jharkhand, India.
This study employs mechanically synthesized nano-scrap carbon iron filings (nSCIF) as a cost-effective and sustainable catalyst in heterogeneous electro-Fenton process. The catalytic behaviour of nSCIF was studied for the oxidation of cytarabine (CBN) under the influence of various experimental parameters such as pH, catalyst dose and applied current density. The highest removal efficiency (~ 99%) was achieved in 90 min of reaction at pH 3, 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Kohsar University Murree, Murree, 47150, Punjab, Pakistan.
Antibiotics and pharmaceuticals exert significant environmental risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Many effective remedies to this problem have been developed through research. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are potential constituents, for drug and antibiotic removal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnaesthesiologie
January 2025
Team Pflegewissenschaft und -fortschritt, Agaplesion Diakonieklinikum Hamburg, Hohe Weide 17, 20259, Hamburg, Deutschland.
Background: Fixation plasters are nowadays an important part of clinical care and the product range is adapted to the needs of patient care. A multifaceted selection is available.
Aim Of The Study: To increase vigilance towards the supposedly low-threshold use of fixation plasters in patient care.
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