University of Bristol researchers found that pollinators are less likely to land on flowers sprayed with fertilizers or pesticides because they can detect changes in the electric field around the flower, reports Phys.org portal.
Dr. Ellard Hunting of the Bristol School of Biological Sciences and his team noted that fertilizers did not affect vision and smell, and set out to mimic the electrical changes caused by fertilizers and pesticides in the field by electrically manipulating flowers. This showed that bumblebees are able to detect and distinguish between small and dynamic changes. electric field caused by chemicals.
A study published in PNAS Nexus shows that chemical sprays change the electrical field around flowers within 25 minutes of exposure. This action lasts much longer than natural fluctuations, such as those caused by the wind, and results in a reduction in the foraging efforts of the bees in nature.
Flowers have a range of signals that attract bees to promote feeding and pollination. For example, bees use cues such as the scent and color of flowers, but they also use electric fields to identify plants.
So the big problem is that the application of agrochemicals can distort flower signals and change the behavior of pollinators like bees.
In addition, various other airborne particles such as nanoparticles, exhaust gases, nanoplastics and viral particles can have similar effects on a wide range of organisms that use electric fields that are virtually everywhere in the environment.
The fact that fertilizers influence the behavior of pollinators by interfering with how an organism perceives its physical environment offers new insights into how human-made chemicals disrupt organisms' natural habitats.