Air Pollution Makes It Difficult For Insect Pollinators To Find Plants

KOMPAS.com – Ability Bee, butterflies and other pollinators to find plants is decreasing, due to exposure air pollution.

This is bad news for the population insect and also the plants that rely on them for pollination.

Citing New Scientist, Wednesday (19/1/2022) pesticides and land use change are the two biggest drivers decrease the number of insects.

However, recent field trials suggest that air pollution caused by diesel cars may be the main cause of the decline.

Also read: Latest Survey, 59 Percent Experience the Real Impact of Jabodetabek Air Pollution

This was revealed after the researchers conducted field trials for three years.

In the study, James Ryalls, a researcher from the University of Reading, UK, built a system that produces nitrogen oxides and ozone pollution in the middle of a wheat field and distributes it to six mustard plants.

Meanwhile, the other two places are filled with ambient air which functions as a control.

The results are striking.

Pollutant levels equivalent to the average concentration of a major UK highway led to a 70 per cent reduction in pollinator counts. He also admitted that he was surprised by the decrease in the number.

“We didn’t expect the reduction to be as severe as what we found. If the results of this study extend to a landscape scale, air pollution may be a fairly important factor contributing to the decline in pollinators. This is rather worrying,” he said.

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