Sunday, April 13, 2008

Research news: Flowers' fragrance diminished by air pollution

The News:
Flowers' Fragrance Diminished By Air Pollution, Study Indicates
ScienceDaily (Apr. 11, 2008) — Air pollution from power plants and automobiles is destroying the fragrance of flowers and thereby inhibiting the ability of pollinating insects to follow scent trails to their source, a new University of Virginia study indicates. This could partially explain why wild populations of some pollinators, particularly bees -- which need nectar for food -- are declining in several areas of the world, including California and the Netherlands.
"The scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment, such as in the 1800s, could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters; but in today's polluted environment downwind of major cites, they may travel only 200 to 300 meters," said Jose D. Fuentes, a professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia and a co-author of the study. "This makes it increasingly difficult for pollinators to locate the flowers." read more...

The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Atmospheric Environment.

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