Atmospheric pollutants interfere with pollination

Atmospheric pollutants harm human health, and new research has just confirmed that they endanger the arrival of food on the table because these agents make it difficult pollination on a global scale.

The study, published this Thursday in the journal The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), bases its conclusions on a series of detailed experiments conducted since 2017 by researchers from Washington State University with hawk moths pollinating pale evening primrose flowers, ‘Oenothera pallida’.

Researchers have shown that the change in floral aroma caused by two of the most common air pollutants, tropospheric ozone (O₃) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), It deters pollinators from approaching the flowers in search of food.

Origin of contaminants
Both pollutants originate from gases emitted in combustion processes in traffic (especially automobiles, especially diesel engines) and transport in general, as well as in industrial plants. high temperature and electricity production of fossil origin.

Its negative impact on vegetation, in addition to human health, has previously been proven by numerous studies: not very high, but persistent concentrations can act as a weakener or predispose vegetation to certain diseases, while in significant concentrations it causes premature death of leaves.

Through field observations in the east of the country Washington and laboratory experiments, the authors of this study found that NO₂ It quickly breaks down the specific compounds of the floral scent, making the flowers invisible to nocturnal pollinators.

Deterioration of the aroma due to these pollutants causes pollinator visits to decrease by more than 70%, which weakens the plant’s fruiting process.

The most harmful
According to the results, nitrogen dioxide is even more reactive than tropospheric ozone when it comes to changing the components of the floral scent that make moths recognize the flower and come to feed on it.

Moreover, scientists have seen how high the concentrations are NO₂ They directly eliminate the arrival of pollinators on the flower.

Global atmospheric models of floral aroma oxidation due to these pollutants developed by scientists reveal that most urban areas have levels O₃ and NO₂ tall enough to significantly reduce the distances at which pollinators can spot flowers.

“These results illustrate the impact of anthropogenic contaminants, caused by human activity, on the olfactory ability of animals and indicate that such contaminants may be key regulators of global pollination,” warn the authors.

n has just confirmed that they also put food on the table at risk, because these agents interfere with pollination on a global scale.

The study, published this Thursday in the Journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), bases its conclusions on a series of meticulous experiments conducted since 2017 by Washington State University researchers with moths that pollinate the flowers of the bright evening primrose, ‘Oenothera pallida’.

Researchers have shown that the change in floral aroma produced by two of the most common atmospheric pollutants, ground-level ozone (O₃) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), deters pollinators from approaching flowers in search of food.

Origin of contaminants
Both pollutants originate from gases emitted in combustion processes associated with traffic (especially automobiles, especially diesel engines) and transportation in general, as well as in high-temperature industrial and electrical plants of fossil origin.

Its negative impact on vegetation, in addition to human health, has previously been proven by numerous studies: not very high, but persistent concentrations can act as a weakener or predispose vegetation to certain diseases, while in significant concentrations it causes premature death of leaves.

Through field observations in eastern Washington state and laboratory experiments, the authors of this study found that NO₂ rapidly breaks down specific floral scent compounds, rendering the flowers undetectable to nocturnal pollinators.

Deterioration of the aroma due to these pollutants causes pollinator visits to decrease by more than 70%, which weakens the plant’s fruiting process.

The most harmful
According to the results, nitrogen dioxide is even more reactive than tropospheric ozone when it comes to changing the components of the floral scent that make moths recognize the flower and come to feed on it.

Moreover, scientists have seen how high concentrations of NO₂ directly eliminate the arrival of pollinators to the flower.

Global atmospheric models of the oxidation of floral scents by these pollutants developed by scientists reveal that most urban areas have high enough levels of O₃ and NO₂ to significantly reduce the distances at which pollinators can spot flowers.

“These results illustrate the impact of anthropogenic pollutants, caused by human activities, on an animal’s olfactory ability and indicate that such pollutants may be key regulators of global pollination,” the authors warn.