title: Ant cuticular response to phthalate pollution.
abstract: Phthalates are common atmospheric contaminants used in the plastic industry. Ants have been shown to constitute good bioindicators of phthalate pollution. Hence, phthalates remain trapped on ant cuticles which are mostly coated with long-chain hydrocarbons. In this study, we artificially contaminated Lasius niger ants with four phthalates: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP). The first three have previously been found on ants in nature in Touraine (France), while the fourth has not. The four phthalates disappeared rapidly (less than 5 days) from the cuticles of live ants. In contrast, on the cuticles of dead ants, DEHP quantities remained unchanged over time. These results indicate that phthalates are actively absorbed by the cuticles of live ants. Cuticular absorption of phthalates is nonspecific because eicosane, a nonnatural hydrocarbon on L. niger cuticle, was similarly absorbed. Ants are important ecological engineers and may serve as bioindicators of ecosystem health. We also suggest that ants and more generally terrestrial arthropods may contribute to the removal of phthalates from the local environment.
authors.affiliation: IRBI, Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261, Université François Rabelais, 37200, Tours, France, alain.lenoir@univ-tours.fr.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenoir
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Touchard
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Devers
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Christidès
authors.forename: Raphaël
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boulay
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cuvillier-Hot
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000378:metabolism*; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D005602:France; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010795:Phthalic Acids; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate; C050821:eicosane; C032279:phthalic acid; C025605:diisobutyl phthalate; C027561:butylbenzyl phthalate