Agricultural chemicals alter floral biophysical cues and bumblebee foraging behavior

It has recently been established that various terrestrial organisms sense and exploit naturally occurring static electric fields, exposing the critical question as to whether electrical interactions are sensitive to anthropogenic interference. Here, we provide theoretical and empirical evidence that applications of fertilizers and pesticides alter both magnitude and dynamics of floral electrical cues used by foraging bees. Specifically, we show that chemicals cause recurrent changes in floral electric fields, and that such alterations can result in reduced foraging by bumblebees. Different modelled biophysical responses of flowers to fertilizers are also shown to interact in amplifying floral electric fields cues. This uncovers that widely applied chemicals elicit a currently overlooked multifaceted biophysical interference within the electric landscape that potentially contributes to current declines in pollination services