Effect of ozone exposure on the foraging behaviour of Bombus terrestris.

ABSTRACT

Tropospheric ozone (O3) mixing ratios have increased substantially since preindustrial times and high O3 peaks are increasingly common. Plant-pollinator interactions are central to natural ecosystem functioning and food production systems but could be negatively affected by unfavourable environmental conditions such as elevated O3. Ecosystem functioning is threatened by O3, which can degrade floral volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used by pollinators as olfactory cues during foraging. It can also exert oxidative stress on VOC-emitting plants and receiving organisms, potentially disturbing the sending and receiving of VOC signals. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of elevated ozone on the foraging behaviour of Bombus terrestris on three species of the Brassicaceae, with a particular focus on bumblebee choices and the mechanisms underpinning differences observed. Moreover, the study was designed to fill a gap between observations in small-scale laboratory experiments and large-scale modelling through empirical observations in polytunnels that represent a medium-large-scale artificial environment. Using 10 × 3 × 2 m polytunnels the effects of O3 on pollinator foraging parameters on Sinapis alba, Sinapis arvensis and Raphanus raphanistrum were assessed. Significant effects of elevated O3 (100 ± 10 ppb) on the time taken for the first bee to alight on a flower and the cumulative amount of time spent on flowers was observed. To further investigate the underlying mechanisms, a laboratory test was conducted to determine the effects of ozone on the VOC blend composition of S. alba flowers. Synthetic VOC blends representing O3-altered and unaltered profiles were reconstituted and utilized in polytunnel and olfactometry experiments. The results indicated that a reduction of olfaction-mediated orientation, probably via VOC-degradation or direct effects of O3 on bees, was responsible for the altered foraging parameters of B. terrestris, suggesting that the presence of elevated O3 could have negative effects on the foraging efficiency of important pollinator species.