Flowers losing their smell? "Spring's bloom may not smell so sweet anymore, as pollutants from power plants and automobiles destroy flowers' aromas, a new study suggests. The finding could help explain why some pollinators, particularly bees, are declining in certain parts of the world. Researchers at the University of Virginia created a mathematical model of how the scents of flowers travel with the wind. The scent molecules produced by the flowers readily bond with pollutants such as ozone, which destroys the aromas they produce. So instead of wafting for long distances with the wind, the flowery scents are chemically altered. Essentially, the flowers no longer smell like "flowers." Yet more support for us cleaning up our act, globally. Interestingly enough, I read that flowers may have contributed to the demise of dinosaurs. Many flowers can be toxic, especially when ingested in large amounts. As flowering plants increased, dinosaur populations decreased.
Interesting... If anyone finds a link to the actual paper or can give me the title of it I REALLY want to read it.
I'm sure if you contact the researcher, he can direct you to the original study: Contact: Jose Fuentes [email protected] 434-982-2654 University of Virginia
This is just another in a long line of alarmist conjecture as to the cause of the bee decline. I've heard things from cell phones, to genetically modified food, to space aliens have caused the decline. The article cited above makes no connection between the reduced scent trail and the bee decline. It makes a complete jump in logic by bascially saying if flowers do n;t smell as strong then bees can't find them! There is no support for that assumption from the research! This is almost criminal in its incompetence. (The reporting that is) This seems like a likely cause of the bee decline. Bee population decline linked to a Virus | Best Syndication
*I'm* the one that was suggesting the lack of scent might be a contributing factor to colony collapse. Forgive me for reading about research and then THINKING.
