Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields reduce bumble bee visitation to flowers

IF 7.3 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Pollution Pub Date : 2025-07-14 DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126836

Manuel Treder, Michael Glück, Sam J. England, Kirsten S. Traynor

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) are an integral part of our daily lives and we may struggle to imagine life without them, using them to transmit and stream data for television, the internet, or cell phones. Debates circulate on whether this anthropogenic radiation may be an additional stress factor for pollinators, potentially disrupting important habitats and refugia, especially in highly developed areas. Could these anthropogenic fields interfere with foraging pollinators, influence their foraging behavior or reduce the attractiveness of entire habitats? Current data on sublethal impacts is sparse. We tested the effects of realistic 2.4 and 5.8 GHz radiation on flower visitation rates of different pollinators over two years in a blinded study using a standardized radiation source and a novel study design. Documenting 2,876 pollinators, we found no effect of this radiation on honey bee visitation rates on Salvia and Lavandula plants. However, we found a significant reduction in the number of bumble bee visits per observation when the plants were subjected to RF-EMF exposure, highlighting the need for in-depth and long-term studies to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this effect.

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射频电磁场减少了大黄蜂对花朵的造访

射频电磁场（RF-EMF）是我们日常生活中不可或缺的一部分，我们可能很难想象没有它们的生活，使用它们为电视、互联网或手机传输和传输数据。关于这种人为辐射是否可能是传粉媒介的额外压力因素，可能破坏重要的栖息地和避难所，特别是在高度发达的地区，争论正在进行。这些人为的场地是否会干扰传粉昆虫的觅食，影响它们的觅食行为或降低整个栖息地的吸引力？目前关于亚致死撞击的数据很少。采用标准化的辐射源和新颖的研究设计，在两年多的时间里，采用盲法测试了实际2.4和5.8 GHz辐射对不同传粉媒介访花率的影响。我们记录了2876种传粉媒介，发现这种辐射对蜜蜂对鼠尾草和薰衣草的访问率没有影响。然而，我们发现，当植物受到RF-EMF暴露时，每次观察的大黄蜂访问次数显着减少，强调需要进行深入和长期的研究，以阐明这种影响的潜在机制。

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来源期刊

Environmental Pollution 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

16.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

2082

审稿时长

2.9 months

期刊介绍： Environmental Pollution is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality research papers and review articles covering all aspects of environmental pollution and its impacts on ecosystems and human health. Subject areas include, but are not limited to: • Sources and occurrences of pollutants that are clearly defined and measured in environmental compartments, food and food-related items, and human bodies; • Interlinks between contaminant exposure and biological, ecological, and human health effects, including those of climate change; • Contaminants of emerging concerns (including but not limited to antibiotic resistant microorganisms or genes, microplastics/nanoplastics, electronic wastes, light, and noise) and/or their biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Laboratory and field studies on the remediation/mitigation of environmental pollution via new techniques and with clear links to biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Modeling of pollution processes, patterns, or trends that is of clear environmental and/or human health interest; • New techniques that measure and examine environmental occurrences, transport, behavior, and effects of pollutants within the environment or the laboratory, provided that they can be clearly used to address problems within regional or global environmental compartments.