Air pollution is affecting flies in a surprising way, altering the process of attraction and mating of these insects.
Typically, flies rely heavily on pheromones, which are chemicals that allow males and females to locate and mate.
see more
Alert: THIS poisonous plant landed a young man in the hospital
Google develops AI tool to help journalists in…
However, polluted air ends up interrupting the circulation of these pheromones, impairing the ability of flies to identify their mates.
Specifically, the increase in ozonein the air is affecting the pheromones, compromising their distinguishing function between the sexes.
A recent discovery has revealed more details of how this air pollution can have far-reaching effects on life and the environment. behavior of species, including essential insects for pollination and the ecology of the environment, as is the case of flies.
More research is needed to fully understand the impact of this interference on communication and reproduction in flies and in other organisms, but the data collected so far are already quite alarming.
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany focused on the effects of ozone on attracting and mating flies.
For this, they developed an experiment in which they recreated ozone levels similar to those found in cities during the summer.
The aim of the research was to investigate the impact of smokeof the air, as the substance is also known, in the pheromones released by flies.
In addition to promoting the attraction of female flies to males, pheromones make it possible to repel other males, ensuring an adequate reproduction process.
Researchers Nanji Jiang and Markus Knaden, responsible for the study, were intrigued by the behavior of male flies exposed to ozone.
Scientists realized that this change in behavior was related to the inability of males to correctly distinguish individuals of the opposite sex.
This discovery attempted the hypothesis that ozone exposure affected male flies' ability to identify female flies and evolved inappropriate courtship behaviors.
Previously, investigators had not considered this possibility, making the phenomenon even more intriguing.
The effects of this discovery have a broad sensitivity, not just being limited to flies. It is believed that ozone can affect the patterns of many insects, impacting their communication and behavior.
When ozone interferes with the communication of these insects, it can result in discomfort in social relationships and chaotic behavior within these communities.
Bees may have difficulty coordinating their activities within the hive, wasps may have trouble organization of their tasks and ants may face challenges in the division of labor and in defending their territories.
This balance in communication can lead to harmful consequences for these insect communities, affecting their role in nature.
Furthermore, it can affect foraging for food, caring for offspring, defense against predators, and the general efficiency of activities within groups.
Finally, this whole chain of lack of control could end up reaching humans in some way, also affecting certain aspects of our lives that are related to insects.
Lover of movies and series and everything that involves cinema. An active curious on the networks, always connected to information about the web.