A study has discovered that air pollution has a significant impact on pollination by degrading the scent of flowers, making it difficult for bees to locate them.
The research team, consisting of the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the Universities of Reading, Surrey, Birmingham, and Southern Queensland, found that ozone alters the size and scent of floral odor plumes. This alteration reduces honeybees’ ability to detect odors by up to 90% from a short distance away.
Ground-level ozone, which worsens respiratory conditions, is typically formed when nitrogen oxide emissions from vehicles and industrial processes react with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by vegetation in the presence of sunlight.
Dr. Ben Langford, an atmospheric scientist at UKCEH, led the study, which has been published in the journal Environmental Pollution. According to him, the research suggests that ozone is likely to have a negative impact on the abundance of wildflowers and crop yields. Previous international studies have already established that ozone damages plant growth and negatively affects food production.
“Approximately 75% of our food crops and nearly 90% of wild flowering plants rely, to some extent, on animal pollination, particularly by insects. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what affects pollination negatively and how, in order to preserve the essential services we depend on for the production of food, textiles, biofuels, and medicines,” says Dr. Langford.
2023-09-04 22:00:03
Source from phys.org