Wildfire smoke may affect insects ability to ‘see’ and ‘smell’ plants
News Source: iNFO News
August 2, 2021
“One specific issue that we have been discussing in my lab is the fact that insects orient and find food, mates, and habitat through sight and smell and that wildfire smoke can potentially interfere with those really important insect behaviours.” – Dr. Juli Carrillo
Dr. Juli Carrillo, CSFS Associate and Professor at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, spoke about how insects may be adapting their behaviours to smoky skies and warming temperatures. One challenge for pollinators is that using visual cues to find flowers is less effective.