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TL;DR
This study used houseflies to show that a brief 12-hour exposure to high levels of particulate matter air pollution significantly reduces the insects' ability to detect odours important for finding food and mates.
Nature Communications · 12 authors, 4 centres
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This study used houseflies to show that a brief 12-hour exposure to high levels of particulate matter air pollution significantly reduces the insects' ability to detect odours important for finding food and mates.
The study investigated the effect of short-term particulate matter (PM) air pollution on the olfactory perception of houseflies (Musca domestica). Researchers exposed flies to PM at air quality levels corresponding to moderate pollution for 12 hours. They then used behavioural assays to test responses to reproductive and food odours, electroantennograms (EAG) to measure neural activity, and transcriptomic analysis. Results consistently showed that PM exposure compromised olfactory detection in both males and females. EAG confirmed the behavioural deficits were due to impaired perception, not poor health. Field surveys found PM on antennae of diverse insects in different environments. The authors suggest this pollution effect could be a factor in global insect declines, as PM can travel long distances.