Road air pollution harms the reproductive success of a bee‐pollinated wildflower: A dusty threat to biodiversity

Societal Impact Statement Dust, a common form of air pollution, is particularly problematic on roadsides, which are important habitats for plants and pollinators. We investigated whether and how road dust affects plant sexual reproduction using Primula chungensis in a biodiversity hotspot. Our study provides compelling evidence that road dust can harm plant reproductive success by disrupting both plant–pollinator interactions and the post‐pollination process. Given that enhanced dust activity is widespread globally, our findings highlight that biodiversity, food security, and ecosystems should benefit from policies and practices to improve air quality.

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Publication Details

Journal
Plants People Planet
Published
2026-02-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.70174
Primary Topic
Plant responses to elevated CO2
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Road air pollution harms the reproductive success of a bee‐pollinated wildflower: A dusty threat to biodiversity

Yong‐Peng Cha, Zhi‐Qiang Zhang, Yin‐Mei Ma, Zhao‐Li Tong et al.
Plants People Planet
Plant responses to elevated CO2
article

Road air pollution harms the reproductive success of a bee‐pollinated wildflower: A dusty threat to biodiversity

Yong‐Peng Cha, Zhi‐Qiang Zhang, Yin‐Mei Ma, Zhao‐Li Tong, David W. Inouye
article en

Abstract

Societal Impact Statement Dust, a common form of air pollution, is particularly problematic on roadsides, which are important habitats for plants and pollinators. We investigated whether and how road dust affects plant sexual reproduction using Primula chungensis in a biodiversity hotspot. Our study provides compelling evidence that road dust can harm plant reproductive success by disrupting both plant–pollinator interactions and the post‐pollination process. Given that enhanced dust activity is widespread globally, our findings highlight that biodiversity, food security, and ecosystems should benefit from policies and practices to improve air quality.

Plants People Planet
Yunnan University (CN), Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (US), University of Maryland, College Park (US)
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 53%
Plant responses to elevated CO2
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