Ecotoxicity of Thymol in Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) and Its Potential as a Safer Anthelmintic Alternative [Dataset]
Dung beetles play a crucial role in rangeland sustainability by facilitating dung removal, nutrient recycling, soil bioturbation, parasite suppression, and greenhouse gas mitigation. However, the widespread prophylactic use of synthetic anthelmintics, particularly macrocyclic lactones such as iverme...
| Autores: | , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | conjunto de datos |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Alicante (UA) |
| Repositorio: | RUA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Alicante |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:ruarepositor::00e2b286f1f2915998a8f718724e0a2c |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10045/161910 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Dung beetles Thymol Ecotoxicity Electroantennography Phenoloxidase Macrocyclic lactones Sustainable livestock management |
| Sumario: | Dung beetles play a crucial role in rangeland sustainability by facilitating dung removal, nutrient recycling, soil bioturbation, parasite suppression, and greenhouse gas mitigation. However, the widespread prophylactic use of synthetic anthelmintics, particularly macrocyclic lactones such as ivermectin, results in the excretion of biologically active residues in faeces that cause lethal and sublethal effects on non-target coprophagous insects. These ecotoxicological impacts threaten dung beetle diversity and compromise ecosystem functioning in pastoral landscapes. In contrast, plant-derived anthelmintics such as thymol (THY) are emerging as more environmentally compatible alternatives. In this study, we evaluated the sublethal ecotoxicity of dietary THY exposure in the dung beetle Thorectes lusitanicus Jeckel, 1866 (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae), a flightless telephagic tunneller native to Iberian Mediterranean ecosystems. Antennal sensory performance was quantified using electroantennography (EAG), while immunocompetence was assessed through haemolymph total protein content, phenoloxidase (PO) activity and prophenoloxidase (proPO) levels. Ivermectin was included as a reference treatment due to its known disruptive effects on insect olfactory and immune systems. THY ingestion did not impair antennal responsiveness or modify immune parameters relative to controls, even at the highest exposure concentrations tested. In contrast, ivermectin significantly reduced olfactory sensitivity and induced measurable immune alterations. Collectively, these findings support THY as a promising phytochemical anthelmintic with minimal ecotoxic risk to dung beetles. Its incorporation into livestock parasite-control strategies may reduce the environmental footprint of veterinary pharmaceuticals and help maintain the essential ecosystem services provided by dung-associated fauna. |
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