OZONING OUT

摘要

Yet another strike against ground-level ozone pollution: it makes previously savvy flower-finding insects utterly hopeless at following a sensory map. In a recent experiment conducted at Penn State, researchers placed striped cucumber beetles in proximity to buffalo gourd flowers and started ratcheting up the ozone. At the lowest levels, the beetles were usually able to find their way to the flowers-but at higher levels their navigational prowess failed them. Researchers believe that pollutants like ozone destroy the plant's aroma molecules before the insects can catch an enticing whiff. And according to study leader Jose Fuentes, since 70 percent of our food supply relies on insect pollination, human beings have a very pressing reason to be steering pollinators in the right direction.