Deadly trap or sweet home? The case of discarded containers as novelty microhabitats for ants

Kolenda, Krzysztof; Salata, Sebastian; Kujawa, Krzysztof; Kuśmierek, Natalia; Smolis, Adrian; Kadej, Marcin

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01064

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Detailed discussion with previous results is hardly possible because there is almost no research that shows influence of discarded containers on arthropod populations or communities. However, in contrast to our recent findings on ants (Kolenda et al 2020), the containers serve for spiders more as an artificial microhabitat than as a deadly trap. Indeed, the number of containers with dead specimens was very low (1.7% of all), especially in contrast to ants (10.3% of containers with dead workers, and only 4.4% used as a nest; for details see Kolenda et al 2020).…”

Section: Ecological Significance Of Discarded Containerscontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…However, in contrast to our recent findings on ants (Kolenda et al 2020), the containers serve for spiders more as an artificial microhabitat than as a deadly trap. Indeed, the number of containers with dead specimens was very low (1.7% of all), especially in contrast to ants (10.3% of containers with dead workers, and only 4.4% used as a nest; for details see Kolenda et al 2020). Moreover, Lavers et al (2020) found that discarded plastic bottles are a lethal trap for crabs on beaches, while Kolenda et al (2015) and Poeta et al (2015) noted mostly dead beetles and molluscs inside containers collected from suburban forests and sandy coastal dunes, respectively.…”

Section: Ecological Significance Of Discarded Containerscontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Kolenda et al (2015) and Poeta et al (2015) revealed that invertebrates were trapped in more than 40% of collected containers. Although, in the previous study, living arthropods were observed in the containers (Kolenda et al 2015(Kolenda et al , 2020, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies concerning the use of this putative new niche for spiders to prey on trapped invertebrates. Only Prestwich (1977) observed complete webs, moulted exoskeletons and adult spiders inside discarded bottles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…We supposed that some animal groups (e.g. ants; Kolenda et al 2020) can dwell and breed inside these containers for at least part of their life, however the exact effect on their fitness remains unknown. Therefore, we assumed that spiders may also use discarded containers for different purposes, such as foraging or reproducing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Living in discarded containers: spiders explore a new niche created by littering in urban woodlands

et al. 2021

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Increased urbanisation is leading to littering of the environment. However, some animals may adapt to live in such altered habitats. The aim of this study was to assess whether discarded containers can serve as a suitable microhabitat for spiders. The study was conducted in 10 woodland areas in the city of Wrocław, Poland. In September 2018, a total of 939 containers were collected, of which 33.5% contained evidence of spiders having resided therein: webs, dead or living spiders, exuviae or cocoons. A total of 22 species and several other taxa that could not be recognised so accurately were detected. The most common of these belonged to Linyphiidae and Theridiidae. Juveniles (N = 103) dominated over adults (N = 58), and females (N = 34) were more numerous than males (N = 24). In 15 containers, interspecies pairs were found. Among ecological guilds, sheet web spiders dominated (60%) followed by space web spiders (24%), ground hunters (9%), ambush hunters (3%), specialists (3%), and other hunters (2%). Spiders were significantly more often found in colourless (38.3%) and green (35.5%) than in brown bottles (25.2%). They were also more numerous in glass bottles for sweet drinks (50.0%) than in beer bottles (28.0%), and slightly more frequent than in glass vodka bottles (33.3%). Our study showed that discarded containers are fully exploitable microhabitats for spiders and are used by these animals for at least three different purposes: hunting, hiding and breeding, however the effect on their fitness remains unknown.

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Section: Ecological Significance Of Discarded Containerscontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Ecological Significance Of Discarded Containerscontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Living in discarded containers: spiders explore a new niche created by littering in urban woodlands

et al. 2021

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“…Over time, litter that accumulates in the environment becomes a permanent element of ecosystems or even creates new ecosystems like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch 7 . Animals get used to the presence of litter and some groups even prefer littered habitats 8 and use anthropogenic particles for nest building 9 or to nest inside 10 , 11 . Another problem is that some litter becomes evolutionary traps for animals which confuse them with mates or food 12 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online media reveals a global problem of discarded containers as deadly traps for animals

Kolenda

Pawlik

Kuśmierek

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The widespread occurrence of litter is a severe threat to global ecosystems. We have analyzed online media, to assess the diversity of animals that are prone to getting trapped in discarded containers and check which kind of containers is the most common trap for animals. A total of 503 records from around the world (51 countries, 6 continents) have been found. These include invertebrates (17 taxa, ca.1050 dead individuals), and vertebrates (98 taxa, 496 individuals including 44 carcasses). The latter group was most frequently represented by mammals (78.5% of all cases), then reptiles (15.3%), birds (1.2%), fish (1.0%) and amphibians (0.4%). Nearly 12.5% of the determined vertebrates are classified as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered, according to the IUCN. Although most trapped individuals were smaller animals, bigger ones such as monitor lizards (Varanus spp.) or large carnivores were also recorded. In most cases, animals were trapped in glass or plastic jars (32.4%), drink cans (16.5%), and steel cans (16.3%). Our results demonstrate that discarded containers can be a threat to all major groups of animals. In order to address this phenomenon, it is necessary to decrease a global production of debris, implement container deposit legislation and organize repeatable cleanup actions.

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Image background assessment as a novel technique for insect microhabitat identification

Singha Roy,

Tingley,

Dorin

2023

Ecological Informatics

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Deadly trap or sweet home? The case of discarded containers as novelty microhabitats for ants

Cited by 3 publications

References 34 publications

Living in discarded containers: spiders explore a new niche created by littering in urban woodlands

Living in discarded containers: spiders explore a new niche created by littering in urban woodlands

Online media reveals a global problem of discarded containers as deadly traps for animals

Image background assessment as a novel technique for insect microhabitat identification

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