More carbon dioxide in the air is decreasing the amount of protein in pollen and may be contributing to Colony Collapse Disorder, says Yale Environment 360. Researchers compared samples of the plant goldenrod – a staple for wild honeybees – collected from 1842 to 2014 and found that protein levels in the most recent goldenrod samples were lower by 30 percent. During that same period of time, atmospheric carbon jumped from 280 ppm to 398 ppm, causing plants to produce more sugar and essentially dilute their other constituents, including protein.
“Pollen is becoming junk food for bees,” says Lewis Ziska, a plant physiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Research Service in Maryland and lead author of the study.
Between 2006 and 2011, Colony Collapse Disorder destroyed 33 percent of hives worldwide, according to Yale 360, which has many experts deeply concerned, since pollinators are responsible for 35 percent of global crop production. While researchers have identified several factors as possible culprits, including mites and chemical sprays, poor nutrition would make it harder to fight off threats. “I am not saying that understanding neonicotinoid [pesticides] or Varroa mites is not important, but I am saying that how bees respond to these stressors might have something to do with their nutrition,” says Ziska. “If we are mucking around with their nutrition, all these other responses could be affected.”
The goldenrod study was the first to link climate change with the diet of pollinators. But even apart from the health of honeybees and other pollinating insects, more than 100 other studies have shown that rising CO2 levels will hurt the nutrition of many of humanity’s staple crops like rice, wheat and corn by lowering levels of zinc, iron, and protein.