隨著環(huán)境污染加劇，空氣中阻擋花香傳播的氣體成分越來(lái)越多,，一些地方的蜜蜂因?yàn)檎也坏交ǘ洳擅鄱扇核劳觥?/p>
《華盛頓郵報(bào)》5月5日?qǐng)?bào)道，蜜蜂視力較差,，主要靠嗅覺(jué)尋找蜜源,，但花香氣味分子會(huì)被空氣中臭氧等氣體成分破壞。
美國(guó)弗吉尼亞大學(xué)環(huán)境科學(xué)教授若澤·D·德拉富恩特與學(xué)生研究發(fā)現(xiàn),，19世紀(jì)時(shí),，花香平均能傳播到千米以外，而如今在一些大城市周邊,，花香最多只能傳播到兩三百米外,。
由于花香漸弱，蜜蜂找不到足夠的蜜源大批死亡,，各種作物也因沒(méi)有蜜蜂授粉不能夠結(jié)出果實(shí),、生息繁衍，反過(guò)來(lái)又加劇了蜜蜂的“饑荒”,，形成惡性循環(huán),。“這就是全部問(wèn)題所在，”德拉富恩特說(shuō),。
這項(xiàng)研究成果發(fā)表在3月號(hào)的愛(ài)思唯爾期刊《大氣環(huán)境》（Atmospheric Environment）上,。（來(lái)源：新華網(wǎng)）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
（Atmospheric Environment），Volume 42, Issue 10, March 2008, Pages 2336-2348,，Quinn S. McFrederick,，Jose D. Fuentes
Air pollution modifies floral scent trails
Quinn S. McFredericka, James C. Kathilankala and Jose D. Fuentes, a,
aDepartment of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, 291 McCormick Road, Clark Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
Abstract
Floral hydrocarbons provide essential signals to attract pollinators. As soon as they are emitted to the atmosphere, however, hydrocarbons are destroyed by chemical reactions involving pollutants such as ozone. It is therefore likely that increased air pollution interferes with pollinator attracting hydrocarbon signals. To test this hypothesis, a Lagrangian diffusion model was used to determine the position of air parcels away from hydrocarbon sources and to estimate the rate of chemical destruction of hydrocarbons as air parcels moved across the landscape. The hydrocarbon compounds linalool, β-myrcene, and β-ocimene were chosen because they are known to be common scents released from flowers. The suppressed ambient abundances of volatile organic compounds were determined in response to increased regional levels of ozone, hydroxyl, and nitrate radicals. The results indicate that the documented increases in air pollution concentrations, from pre-industrial to present times, can lead to reductions in volatile compound concentrations insects detect as they pollinate flowers. For highly reactive volatiles the maximum downwind distance from the source at which pollinators can detect the scents may have changed from kilometers during pre-industrial times to <200 m during the more polluted conditions of present times. The increased destruction of floral signals in polluted air masses may have important implications for both pollinators and signaling plants. When patches of flowers are further apart than the visual range of pollinators, such as in fragmented landscapes, the loss of scent signals may mean that pollinators spend more time searching for patches and less time foraging. This decrease in pollinator foraging efficiency will simultaneously decrease the pollinator's reproductive output and the amount of pollen flow in flowering plants.
