Madrid, 20 (European Press)
Atmospheric pollutants interact with and modify the floral odors in the natural environment, making it difficult for pollinating insects to locate.
Scientists from the University of Reading, the UK’s Center for Environment and Hydrology and the University of Birmingham found there were up to 70% fewer pollinators, up to 90% fewer visits to flowers, and an overall reduction in plant pollination. Percentage at test stations when common air pollutants were present at ground level, including pollutants from diesel exhaust and ozone.
The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Pollution, is the first to note the negative impact of common air pollutants on pollination in the natural environment.
Dr. Ruby Gerling, Professor of Agroecology at the University of Reading, who led the project, explains that he knew from his previous lab studies that diesel exhaust could have negative effects on pollinating insects, “but the effects we found in this area were much more dramatic than We expected.”
Dr James Ryals, a researcher at the Leverhulme Trust at the University of Reading, who led the study, said: ‘The results are concerning because these pollutants are routinely found in the air that many of us breathe every day. We know that these pollutants are bad for our health, and the significant reductions we observed in the number and activity of Pollinators also show that there are clear effects on the natural ecosystems on which we depend.”
Previous lab studies by members of the reading team showed that diesel fumes can alter the scent of flowers. This work suggested that pollution could be contributing to the current decline in insect pollination, by making it difficult for them to locate their food: pollen and nectar.
The effect of this phenomenon in nature, where insects are responsible for pollinating important food crops and native wildflowers, is not well known, so this new study aimed to gather evidence to investigate how air pollution affects different species. Which depends on the smell more than others.
The study, which was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, used a specially designed evaporation facility to regulate levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) – found in exhaust gases from diesel engines – and ozone in the open field environment.
They then studied the effects of these pollutants on the pollination of black mustard plants by free-flying insect pollinators over two summer seasons.
They used pollution concentrations well below the maximum average levels, which is 40-50% of the limits currently set by US legislation as safe for the environment.
As he points out, this pales in comparison to the much higher levels of pollution that occur worldwide due to non-compliance with regulations. For example, outside London, an analysis conducted in 2019 showed that local authorities reported illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide in large parts of northern England, such as Cheshire and Gateshead, and in southern England, such as Wiltshire, Chichester and parts of England. Rural like the New Forest.
Observations revealed that visits by pollinators were 62-70% lower for plants in polluted air. This decrease was observed in seven groups of pollinators, mainly bees, moths, hoverflies and butterflies. There were also 83-90% fewer visits to flowers by these insects, and eventually pollination decreased by 14-31%, depending on seed yield and other factors.
These findings could have wide-ranging implications, with insect pollination contributing hundreds of billions of pounds of economic value each year. It represents about 8% of the total value of agricultural food production worldwide, and 70% of all types of crops, such as apples, strawberries and cocoa, depend on it.
This research is part of ongoing studies into the effects of air pollution on insects’ health and their interactions with the environment by researchers at the University of Reading.
Dr Christian Prang, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the study, highlights that “this truly interdisciplinary work has shown very clearly how air pollutants negatively affect pollination, with direct consequences for food production, as well as for our natural environment resistance.”
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