England (Commonwealth Union) – Pollination is essential for the ecosystem as it plays a significant role in fruits, seeds and plant production. A University of Bristol study has revealed that Pollinators have a lower chance of landing on flowers sprayed with fertilizers or pesticides as they can sense electric field changes surrounding the flower.
The findings that were published in PNAS Nexus indicate that chemical sprays change the electric field surrounding flowers for up to 25 minutes following exposure, remaining much longer than natural fluctuations, like those caused by wind, lowering bee feeding in nature.
Dr Ellard Hunting of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences and his group discovered that fertilizers did not impact sight and smell, and went on to mimic the electrical changes as a result of fertilizers and pesticides in the field by electrically manipulating flowers. It was demonstrated that bumblebees can identify and differentiate against the small and dynamic electric field alterations occurring as a result of chemicals.
Dr. Hunting noted it is known that chemicals are toxic, however little is known on their impact on the immediate engagement between plants and pollinators. “Flowers have a range of cues that attract bees to promote feeding and pollination. For instance, bees use cues like flower odour and colour, but they also use electric fields to identify plants,” he said. “A big issue is thus – agrochemical application can distort floral cues and modify behaviour in pollinators like bees.”
Furthermore, a variety of airborne particles like nanoparticles, exhaust gasses, nano-plastics, and viral particles could have a similar impact, affecting a large array of organisms applying electric fields just about everywhere in the atmosphere.
“What makes this study important is that it’s the first known example of anthropogenic ‘noise’ interfering with a terrestrial animal’s electrical sense,” said Co-author Sam England.
