A recent meta-analysis has revealed that air pollution disproportionately harms beneficial insects such as bees, moths, and butterflies compared to crop-destroying pests like aphids. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Reading, analyzed data from 120 scientific papers on 40 different types of insects across 19 countries. The findings showed that pollinators, including bees and some moths and butterflies, experienced a 39% decline in foraging efficiency when exposed to elevated air pollution levels.
In contrast, pollutants like ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter did not significantly impact plant-eating aphids and other pests. James Ryalls, the study’s lead author and a research fellow in ecology at Reading, said, “Air pollution is an underappreciated threat to the insects that make our lives easier. The bees pollinating our flowers and the wasps that provide natural pest control are at risk of further decline if air pollution levels are not addressed.
The researchers suggest that beneficial insects are more affected by air pollution due to their reliance on scent-based communication.
Many insects use airborne chemical signals to locate flowers, find mates, or hunt prey. Air pollutants can chemically alter these scent trails or interfere with insects’ ability to detect them, essentially disrupting their sensory landscape.
Air pollution impacts beneficial insects
The study focused on how air pollution impacts various insect behaviors and biological aspects, including feeding, growth, survival, reproduction, and the ability to locate food sources. Among these factors, insects’ ability to find food was most severely impaired by air pollution, declining by about one-third on average. Ozone emerged as particularly harmful to beneficial insects, reducing their ability to thrive and carry out their roles in the ecosystem by 35%.
Even low ozone levels below current air quality standards can cause significant damage. Nitrogen oxides also substantially impaired beneficial insects. The loss of beneficial insects could exacerbate crop damage, reduce yields, and impact food security worldwide.
Ryalls warned, “We are facing a ‘lose-lose’ scenario where air pollution harms helpful insects, potentially leading to greater crop damage, reduced yields, and less food on supermarket shelves.”
The findings highlight the urgent need for stricter air quality regulations to protect beneficial insects and, by extension, food security. The study emphasizes that air pollution needs to be considered alongside other threats in management plans and policies to safeguard these beneficial invertebrates.
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