A. Without pollinators, farms cannot make food. B. We need to take action to plant more trees. C. If they were there, they didn't stay for a long time. D. This makes it hard for pollinators to find their food. E. The results were much more serious than we thought. F. Their study found that air pollution is harmful to bees and butterflies. |
When the air is polluted, we can wear masks (口罩) to protect ourselves. What about bees and butterflies? They can't wear masks.
New Scientist magazine showed some findings from James Ryalls and his team at the University of Reading, the UK. These pollinators(传花粉者) can't smell flowers because of the pollution.
Pollinators are important, as they spread pollen among plants with flowers. This helps the flowers grow into fruit. We all need pollinators.
To do their study, Ryalls' team built eight farm areas. Then, they put ozone (臭氧) into six of these areas. The other two areas had normal air. " " said Ryalls. The levels of pollution in the six areas were just like those of traffic on the roads. In such case, 70 percent of the insects didn't enter the six areas. And visits to flowers were reduced by 90 percent.
Scientists said that ozone can break down the smell of flowers. On the other hand, Shannon Olsson, a scientist in India, called the results "important" because they show that "safe" levels of pollution keep pollinators away.
