新科学家 | 空气污染使传粉昆虫更难找到植物


来源:《新科学家》

原文刊登日期:2022年1月19日


Exposing bees, butterflies and other pollinators to air pollution severely impairs their ability to sniff out the plants they feed on. That could be bad news for both insect populations and the crops that rely on them for pollination.

翻译

将蜜蜂、蝴蝶和其他传粉者暴露在空气污染中,严重损害了它们找到它们赖以为生的植物的能力。这对昆虫种群和依赖昆虫授粉的作物来说都是坏消息。


Pesticides and land use changes are two of the biggest drivers of plummeting insect numbers, but a new field trial suggests that polluted air caused by diesel cars may be a major cause too.

翻译

杀虫剂和土地使用的变化是昆虫数量急剧下降的两个最大的驱动因素,但一项新的野外试验表明,柴油车造成的空气污染可能也是一个主要原因。


Previous evidence from lab studies has shown how air pollutants degrade the floral odour particles released by plants, making it harder for insects to locate them.

翻译

此前实验室研究的证据表明,空气污染物是如何降解植物释放的花香颗粒的,使昆虫更难定位到植物。


To gain a better handle on how those interactions play out in the wider environment, James Ryalls at the University of Reading, UK, and colleagues ran a three-year field trial. They built a system that generated nitrogen oxides and ozone pollution in the centre of a wheat field and piped it to six octagonal enclosures where black mustard plants were grown. Two more enclosures filled with ambient air acted as a control.

翻译

为了更好地了解这些相互作用在更广泛的环境中是如何发挥作用的,英国雷丁大学的里尔斯和他的同事进行了一项为期三年的野外试验。他们建立了一个系统,在麦田中心产生氮氧化物和臭氧污染,并将其输送到六个种植黑芥菜的八角形围场。另外两个充满周围空气的围场作为对照组。


The results were stark. Levels of the pollutants equivalent to average concentrations next to major UK roads led to a reduction in the number of pollinators counted on the plants by up to 70 per cent compared with the controls.

翻译

结果很明显。与对照组相比,污染物的浓度与英国主要道路附近的平均浓度相当,这导致以植物为生的授粉昆虫数量减少了70%。


Ryalls was surprised by how steep the fall was with relatively moderate levels of pollution. “We weren’t expecting nearly as severe a reduction as we found. It’s kind of crazy,” he says. “If the results from this study extend to the landscape scale, air pollution is likely a pretty important but underlooked factor contributing to pollinator decline. It’s a bit worrying.”

翻译

里尔斯对污染程度相对较轻的情况下下降的幅度之大感到惊讶。“我们没有预料到下降会像我们发现的那样严重。这有点疯狂,”他说。“如果这项研究的结果延伸到景观尺度,空气污染可能是授粉昆虫减少的一个非常重要但被忽视的因素。这有点令人担忧。”


Dave Goulson at the University of Sussex in the UK says the trial “does show potentially major impacts of air pollution on both pollinators and wildflowers”. He adds: “This calls into question the advisability of encouraging planting of wildflowers on the verges of busy roads, at least while internal combustion engines predominate.”

翻译

英国苏塞克斯大学的戴夫·古尔森说,这项试验“确实显示了空气污染对授粉昆虫和野花的潜在重大影响”。他补充说:“这让人质疑在繁忙的道路两旁鼓励种植野花的合理性,至少在内燃机占主导地位的情况下是这样。”


One optimistic way of looking at the research is that if air pollution is more firmly linked to ongoing pollinator declines, cleaning up the air may prove easier than farmers curbing pesticide use. “We have to transition away from fossil fuels anyway, and we are. We should be doing it faster. It’s not as hard as some things to control,” says Ryalls.

翻译

从一个乐观的角度来看,如果空气污染与传粉昆虫的持续减少有更紧密的联系,净化空气可能比农民控制杀虫剂使用更容易。里尔斯说:“无论如何,我们必须从化石燃料转型。我们应该更快地转型。这不像某些事情那么难控制。”




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