Recent research indicates that the Babbage of beeswhich goes far beyond the flight, is being affected by environmental changes.
According to a study by the University of Uppsala, Sweden, factors such as the increased temperature And exposure to heavy metals can reduce the frequency of these vibrations, which has serious implications for communication, defense and especially pollination.
Those tinnedHowever, they are essential for vibration pollination, a process in which bees use the flight muscles to shake specific flowers and release the pollen. Researcher Charlie Woodrow, who leads the, explains that bees They can contract these muscles up to 400 times per second to produce the necessary vibrations.
Temperature and Pollution: Invisible Risks
The research, conducted with mamangabas bees (Bombus terrestrial), showed that the plays a much more important role than thought.
This is because bees generate metabolic heat when vibrating, and if the environment is already hot, they can simply avoid flowers that depend on this type of pollination. Event that can severely impact the reproduction of certain plants and the Biodiversity.
In addition to temperature, the investigation reveals that exposure to heavy metals also decreases the frequency of vibrations. This phenomenon raises the possibility that tinnitus can be used as an indicator of environmental stress or health of a .
Where science finds technology
To conduct the study, the Woodrow team used accelerometers to measure the frequency of vibrations – which corresponds to the audible tone of the tinnitus.
In addition, they combined this technology with thermal images to understand how bees deal with the heat generated when vibrating, and at high speed filming that helped observe behaviors never seen before, such as the transmission of vibrations through bites.
The findings are not only an impact on biology, but also on technology. Research inspires the development of microbots to replicate bee vibrations and help better understand pollen release.
The approach also contributes to the improvement of pollinating robots and other tools for protecting pollination No future.
Global impact
The researchers were surprised to find differences in temperature effects on the tinnitus between bees and from southern regions. This suggests that the muscle physiology of each bee, not local adaptation, may be responsible for determining the properties of tinnitus.
Dr. Woodrow concludes that if bees vibrations are impaired, this may cause colony failure, inefficient thermoregulation or disability in search of resources for puppies, which directly affects the health of bees and, consequently, ours.
