Mapping the effects of ozone pollution and mixing on floral odour plumes and their impact on plant-pollinator interactions
Article
Article Title | Mapping the effects of ozone pollution and mixing on floral odour plumes and their impact on plant-pollinator interactions |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 5823 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Langford, Ben, Ryalls, James M.W., Mullinger, Neil J., Hayden, Paul, Nemitz, Eiko, Pfrang, Christian, Robins, Alan, Touhami, Dalila, Bromfield, Lisa M. and Girling, Robbie D. |
Journal Title | Environmental Pollution |
Journal Citation | 336 |
Article Number | 122336 |
Number of Pages | 9 |
Year | 2023 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0269-7491 |
1873-6424 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122336 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749123013386 |
Abstract | The critical ecological process of animal-mediated pollination is commonly facilitated by odour cues. These odours consist of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), often with short chemical lifetimes, which form the strong concentration gradients necessary for pollinating insects to locate a flower. Atmospheric oxidants, including ozone pollution, may react with and chemically alter these VOCs, impairing the ability of pollinators to locate a flower, and therefore the pollen and nectar on which they feed. However, there is limited mechanistic empirical evidence to explain these processes within an odour plume at temporal and spatial scales relevant to insect navigation and olfaction. We investigated the impact of ozone pollution and turbulent mixing on the fate of four model floral VOCs within odour plumes using a series of controlled experiments in a large wind tunnel. Average rates of chemical degradation of α-terpinene, β-caryophyllene and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one were slightly faster than predicted by literature rate constants, but mostly within uncertainty bounds. Mixing reduced reaction rates by 8–10% in the first 2 m following release. Reaction rates also varied across the plumes, being fastest at plume edges where VOCs and ozone mixed most efficiently and slowest at plume centres. Honeybees were trained to learn a four VOC blend equivalent to the plume released at the wind tunnel source. When subsequently presented with an odour blend representative of that observed 6 m from the source at the centre of the plume, 52% of honeybees recognised the odour, decreasing to 38% at 12 m. When presented with the more degraded blend from the plume edge, recognition decreased to 32% and 10% at 6 and 12 m respectively. Our findings highlight a mechanism by which anthropogenic pollutants can disrupt the VOC cues used in plant-pollinator interactions, which likely impacts on other critical odour-mediated behaviours such as mate attraction. |
Keywords | Air pollution; Ozone; Floral odour cues; Insect pollinators; Turbulent mixing |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 370102. Air pollution processes and air quality measurement |
310301. Behavioural ecology | |
370104. Atmospheric composition, chemistry and processes | |
410204. Ecosystem services (incl. pollination) | |
Byline Affiliations | UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, United Kingdom |
University of Reading, United Kingdom | |
University of Surrey, United Kingdom | |
University of Birmingham, United Kingdom | |
Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/z1494/mapping-the-effects-of-ozone-pollution-and-mixing-on-floral-odour-plumes-and-their-impact-on-plant-pollinator-interactions
Download files
57
total views38
total downloads1
views this month0
downloads this month