Lifestyle

Bees Face Trouble Detecting Flowers Due To Air Pollution: Research

According to a new study, air pollution prevents bees from finding flowers because it degrades the scent. A research team comprising the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the Universities of Birmingham, Reading, Surrey and Southern Queensland, found that ozone substantially changes the size and scent of floral odour plumes given off by flowers, and that it reduced honeybees’ ability to recognise odours by up to 90% from just a few metres away.

Ground-level ozone typically forms when nitrogen oxide emissions from vehicles and industrial processes react with volatile organic compounds emitted from vegetation in the presence of sunlight.

Professor Christian Pfrang from the University of Birmingham who collaborated on the research said: “Our study provides robust evidence that the changes due to ground-level ozone on floral scent cause pollinators to struggle to carry out their crucial role in the natural environment also with implications for food security.”

The findings suggest that ozone is likely to be having a negative impact on wildflower abundance and crop yields. International research has already established that ozone has a negative impact on food production because it damages plant growth.
Dr Ben Langford, an atmospheric scientist at UKCEH who led the study said: ”Some 75% of our food crops and nearly 90% of wild flowering plants depend, to some extent, upon animal pollination, particularly by insects. Therefore, understanding what adversely affects pollination, and how, is essential to helping us preserve the critical services that we reply upon for production of food, textiles, biofuels and medicines, for example.”

The researchers used a 30-m wind tunnel at Surrey University to monitor how the size and shape of odour plumes changed in the presence of ozone. As well as decreasing the size of the odour plume the scientists found that the scent of the plume changed substantially as certain compounds reacted away much faster than others.

Honeybees were trained to recognise the same odour blend and then exposed to the new, ozone-modified odours. Pollinating insects use floral odours to find flowers and learn to associate their unique blend of chemical compounds with the amount of nectar it provides, allowing them to locate the same species in the future.

The research showed that towards the centre of plumes, 52% of honeybees recognised an odour at 6 metres, decreasing to 38% at 12 m. At the edge of plumes, which degraded more quickly, 32% of honeybees recognised a flower from 6 m away and just a tenth of the insects from 12 m away.

The study indicates that ozone could also affect insects’ other odour-controlled behaviours such attracting a mate. The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, and was published in the journal Environmental Pollution.Professor Christian Pfrang concluded: “We know that air pollution has a detrimental effect on human health, biodiversity and the climate, but now we can see how it prevents bees and other pollinating insects from carrying out their key job. This should act as a wake up call to take action on air pollution and help safeguard food production and biodiversity for the future.“

(ANI)

Also Read: Say Bye To Stubborn Belly Fat, Follow These Tips To Get Flatter Stomach!

Bharat Express English

Recent Posts

Rouse Avenue Court Issues Notice To ED In AgustaWestland Case

Rouse Avenue Court has issued a notice to the ED and sought its response to…

18 mins ago

Gautam Adani Visits Navi Mumbai Airport Site; Set For Mid-2025 Launch

Gautam Adani on 16 March visited the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is nearing completion…

21 mins ago

Delhi Court Grants Relief To Atishi & Sanjay Singh In Criminal Defamation Case

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court provided significant relief to former CM Atishi and Rajya Sabha MP…

25 mins ago

Sensex, Nifty Open Lower As US President Trump’s Tariffs Trigger Global Market

Indian equity indices opened lower on Thursday following a sharp sell-off in global markets triggered…

36 mins ago

PM Modi Witnesses Thai Adaptation Of Ramayana; Highlights Cultural Ties

On Thursday, PM Narendra Modi attended a performance of 'Ramakien', the Thai adaptation of the…

43 mins ago

Supreme Court Upholds Decision To Cancel 25,753 Teacher Appointments In West Bengal

The SC has upheld the Kolkata High Court's decision to cancel the recruitment of 25,753…

46 mins ago