Seasonal pollen distribution in the atmosphere of Hobart, Tasmania: preliminary observations and congruence with flowering phenology

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 440 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Y. P. Tng ◽  
F. Hopf ◽  
S. G. Haberle ◽  
D. M. J. S. Bowman

The atmospheric pollen loads of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, were monitored between September 2007 and July 2009. To examine the match of the airborne pollen composition with the flowering duration of their contributing plants, the phenology of native and non-native plants in various habitats near the pollen-trapping site was undertaken between August 2008 and July 2009. The pollen load was found to have a strong seasonal component associated with the start of spring in September. This is incongruent with the peak flowering season of the total taxa in October. In most taxa, atmospheric pollen signatures appeared before flowering was observed in the field. The presence of most pollen types in the atmosphere also exceeded the observed flowering duration of potential pollen-source taxa. Reasons for this may be related to the sampling effort of phenological monitoring, pollen blown in from earlier flowering populations outside of the sampling area, the ability of pollen to be reworked, and the large pollen production of some wind-pollinated taxa. In 2007–2008, 15 pollen types dominated the atmosphere, accounting for 90% of the airborne pollen load. The top six pollen types belonged to Betula, Cupressaceae, Myrtaceae, Salix, Poaceae and Ulmus. Comparatively, the annual pollen load of Hobart is lower than in most other Australian cities; however, the pollen signal of Betula is inordinately high. Native plants play a minor role as pollen contributors, despite the proximity of native habitats to the pollen-sampling location. The implications of the aerobiological observations are discussed in relation to public health.

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hadj Hamda ◽  
A. Ben Dhiab ◽  
M. Msallem ◽  
A. Larbi

Aerobiology is a multidisciplinary science dealing with biological particles in the atmosphere generated by natural activities during flowering season. Airborne pollen is now the main studied biological structure which is used as a reliable tool to study plant phenology, plant distribution changes and prediction of crop production. The main aims of this work is to determine the distribution of the different spring flowering species from the North to the South of Tunisia and to establish the pollen spectrum of three regions Mornag (North), Menzel M’hiri (Centre) and Chaal (South) in 2017. Airborne pollen data were collected using three volumetric Hirst-type spore traps placed in Mornag (36°39N; 10°16E), Menzel M’hiri (35°38N; 10°41E) and Chaal (34°34N; 10°19E) during olive flowering season. The highest pollen index was recorded in the north (Mornag, 6487.1) corresponding mainly to 18 different pollen types emitted by anemophilous species with an important presence of Cupressus pollen type having the highest contribution. Lower pollen amounts were recorded in Menzel M’hiri (5983.8) and Chaal (925.3). Olea eurpoeae was the most presented pollen type in these regions. However comparing the different study sites we can note a large distribution of some taxa from north to the south. The main common taxa were Olea europaea, Cupressaceae, Poaceae and Amaranhaceae. Their atmospheric concentrations varied also between the regions. Individual pollen index showed a sharp heterogeneity between the taxa in the same region in one hand and between the study sites in the other hand, thus a statistical analysis was performed to define the main group of taxa according to their individual pollen index. Flowering phenology of the main common taxa was also established.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-208
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Dąbrowska ◽  
Krystyna Piotrowska-Weryszko ◽  
Elżbieta Weryszko-Chmielewska ◽  
Ryszard Sawicki

Abstract All lindens provide Apidae insects with nectar, pollen, and honeydew. Lindens are important melliferous trees in Poland. The first purpose of the study was to carry out phenological observations of the flowering in ten linden taxa. The second aim was to analyse the content of linden pollen grains in the air of Lublin. A correlation between the parameters of the pollen season and meteorological factors was also determined. This study was conducted in the city of Lublin located in the central-eastern part of Poland. The flowering phenophases were analysed, using the method developed by Łukasiewicz, during the growing seasons of 2012-2015. Aerobiological monitoring, which was based on the volumetric method, was carried out over the 2001-2014 time period. As shown in the study, the flowering period of all the analysed linden taxa lasted 7 weeks, on average, from June 7 to July 24. The average length of the flowering period of the investigated taxa and hybrids was in the range of 12-17 days. Their flowering periods overlapped. The atmospheric pollen season lasted, on average, from mid-June to the second 10-day period of July. The highest concentration of airborne pollen was noted at the end of June. The pollen season pattern was significantly affected by temperature and relative air humidity as well as by rainfall in May and June. The investigations indicate a 9-day acceleration of the pollen season, which may be associated with global warming.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-192
Author(s):  
Olugbenga Shadrak ALEBIOSU ◽  
Olusola H. ADEKANMBI

The incidence of airborne pollen occurring as aeroallergens of varied levels at different periods of the year has generated some public health concern globally. The present study was conducted in order to examine the monthly depositional rate of airborne pollen and fern spores, as well as the impact of meteorological parameters and local plants on pollen distribution at two study sites in Kaduna and Sokoto States of North Western Nigeria. The study spanned a period of one year, during which a modified Tauber pollen sampler was employed in the collection of atmospheric pollen and fern spores; local plants were also enumerated. Residual solution was collected monthly, subjected to acetolysis and the treated residues were viewed for microscopic studies. The results reveal monthly distribution of airborne pollen and fern spore types at the study sites during the sampling period. Dominant pollen types in Kaduna State were those of Alchornea laxiflora, Pinus caribaea, Terminalia sp., Sapotaceae and Poaceae family. Pollen of Syzygium guineense, Alchornea sp., Sapotaceae and Poaceae dominated in Sokoto State. Spores of Pteris sp., Nephrolepis sp. and a trilete fern were also recovered at both locations. Some local plants in the immediate vegetation contributed to the aeroflora of these locations. No significant correlation was recorded between monthly total pollen concentrations and mean monthly meteorological parameters of the locations. It is imperative to investigate the allergenicity of these dominant pollen types, so as to aid pollen hypersensitive individuals in adopting appropriate prophylactic measures.


2001 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 89-98
Author(s):  
Marta Recio ◽  
M. Mar Trigo ◽  
Silvia Docampo ◽  
Baltasar Cabezudo

RESUMEN. Análisis del contenido aeropolínico estival en la provincia de Málaga. En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio del contenido polínico de la atmósfera de la provincia de Málaga durante cl periodo estival (Julio-Septiembre) tomando los registros obtenidos durante los últimos años en varias localidades de la provincia: Málaga (1992-1999), Estepona (1995-1997), Antequera (1998-1999) y Nerja (2000). En general, durante estos tres meses se recoge sólo entre el 3 y el 6% del polen anual, estando el espectro aeropolínico estival de Málaga representado básicamente por 14 tipos polínicos: Eucalyptus, Castanea, Parkinsotzia, Cannabis, Apiaceae, Ligustrum, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Palmae, Compositae, Artemisia, Typha, Cyperaceae, Poaceae y U rticaceae. Los tipos que alcanzan mayores concentraciones son Eucalyptus, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae y Poaceae. El resto de los taxa citados aparecen en concentraciones muy bajas. Determinados taxa presentan concentraciones más elevadas en determinadas estaciones de muestreo: Castanea y Compositae en Antequera, Palmae y Parkinsonia en Málaga, y Artemisia en Nerja. La evolución a lo largo de los tres meses muestra, en general, dos tipos de tendencia: una descendente de Julio a Agosto (presente en todos los tipos polínicos estudiados, excepto en Artemisia y Palinae, y en todas las zonas estudiadas) y otra ascendente, de Agosto a Septiembre, de pequeña intensidad, aunque muy acusada para los dos tipos anteriores y para Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae y Cotnpositae. La mayoría de los tipos polínicos estudiados tienen sus máximos diarios en primavera, estación del año con mayor concentración polínica en el sur de Europa, excepto Eucalyptus, Castanea, Parkinsonia y Cannabis, que generalmente lo tienen en verano, y que alcanzaron máximos históricos relevantes: Eucalyptus en 1994 (112 granos/111 3), Castanea en 1997 (233 granos/m 3), Cannabis en 1998 (28 granos/m 3).Palabras clave. Acrobiología, polen, verano, turismo, alergia, Málaga, sur de España.ABSTRACT. Analysis of the summer airborne pollen contera in the province of Malaga. In this work, a study about the atmospheric pollen content during the period July-September has been carried out in the province of Malaga. The study was made taking the data obtained during the last years in several localities of the province: Malaga (1992-1999), Estepona (1995-1997), Antequera (1998-1999) and Nerja (2000). In general, just between 3 and 6% of the annual total pollen were collected during those three months, the airborne pollen spectrum being represented by 14 pollen types: Eucalyptus, Castanea, Parkinsonia, Cannabis, Apiaceae, Ligustrum,Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Palmae, Compositae, Artemisia,Typha, Cyperaceae, Poaceae y Urticaceae. During the period studied, the pollen types that reached highest concentrations were Eucalyptus, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae and Poaceae while the rest of the cited taxa were detected at very low concentrations. Some taxa present higher concentrations at determined sampling stations: Costana(' and Compositae in Antequera, Palmae and Parkin.s. onia in Malaga, and Artemisia in Ncrja. The evolution along the summer season shows, in general, two trends. The first one, in which the pollen concentrations are decreasing from July to August, is present in all the taxa and localities studied, except in Artemisia and Palmae. The other one, in which the pollen concentrations lightly increase from August to September, is present in the former two pollen types but also in Chenopodiaceae- Amarantliaceae and Compositae. Most of the pollen types studied reach their maximum daily peaks in spring (season in which the pollen concentrations are highest in southern Europe) except Eucalyptus, Castanea, Parkinsonia and Cannabis, that generally presented them in summer. These taxa reached notable maximum daily concentrations values: Eucalyptus in 1994 (112 grains/m 3), Castanea in 1997 (233 grains/ in3), Cannabis in 1998 (28 grains/m 3).Key words. Aerobiology, pollen, summer, tourism, allergy, Malaga, southern Spain.


2015 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 1127-1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Kubik-Komar ◽  
Elżbieta Kubera ◽  
Krystyna Piotrowska-Weryszko ◽  
Elżbieta Weryszko-Chmielewska

The aim of this study was to verify whether and which parameters of the atmospheric pollen season can distinguish between pollen types, the ranges of parameter values that delineate classes of taxa, and finally which taxa are similar to others within the domain of these parameter ranges. Decision tree algorithms were applied and the best tree was chosen to describe the rules of pollen classification. The study material consisted of airborne pollen grains of the following eight taxa: Alnus, Betula, Carpinus, Corylus, Cupressaceae, Fraxinus, Populus and Ulmus. Research was conducted in Lublin in eastern Poland during 2001-2013. The following six atmospheric pollen season parameters were analyzed: season start and end, duration, maximum daily pollen concentration, date of maximum pollen concentration, and the Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI). Four algorithms were used in data analysis and the J4.8 algorithm was chosen as the best for taxa classification, date of the end of season and the SPI value belonging to characteristics that served most to discriminate between pollen types. Based on the classification tree, the following four groups of taxa were identified: (i) Ulmus; (ii) Corylus, Alnus, Populus; (iii) Betula; and (iv) Carpinus, Fraxinus, Cupressaceae.


Aerobiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Šukienė ◽  
Ingrida Šaulienė ◽  
Rūta Dubakienė ◽  
Odilija Rudzevičienė ◽  
Gintautas Daunys

AbstractAirborne allergenic pollen affects a significant part of the population and the information on pollen load is a valuable tool for public health prevention. The messages should be provided in a form easily understandable for the population. The study provides new insight for the categorisation of pollen load by defining thresholds solely from aerobiological data. Using the long-term airborne pollen data of Corylus, Alnus, Betula, Poaceae, and Artemisia have been evaluated the regionality of pollen concentrations in Lithuania. SPIn and peak values of the main pollen season highlighted as regionality indicators. The largest differences between stations were found in the cases of Corylus and Artemisia.The principle enabling a group of pollen concentrations into levels has been analysed based on retrospective aerobiological data of five pollen types. Thresholds were determined by employing the lowest peak value of the pollen season and applying the 25% principle for selected pollen types. The results were verified by performing associations of defined thresholds with retrospective morbidity data of allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma in Lithuania. Determined pollen thresholds can be used in epidemiological studies requiring associations with pollen concentration. Thresholds could also complement air quality information by integrating pollen load data into public messages or contribute to the development of mHealth systems.


2012 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Fernández-Martínez ◽  
Jordina Belmonte ◽  
Josep Maria Espelta

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxia Shang ◽  
Elina Giannakaki ◽  
Stephanie Bohlmann ◽  
Maria Filioglou ◽  
Annika Saarto ◽  
...  

Abstract. We present a novel algorithm for characterizing the optical properties of pure pollen particles, based on the depolarization values obtained in lidar measurements. The algorithm was first tested and validated through a simulator, and then applied to the lidar observations during a four-month pollen campaign from May to August 2016 at the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) station in Kuopio (62°44′ N, 27°33′ E), in Eastern Finland. Twenty types of pollen were observed and identified from concurrent measurements with Burkard sampler; Birch (Betula), pine (Pinus), spruce (Picea) and nettle (Urtica) pollen were most abundant, contributing more than 90 % of total pollen load, regarding number concentrations. Mean values of lidar-derived optical properties in the pollen layer were retrieved for four intense pollination periods (IPPs). Lidar ratios at both 355 and 532 nm ranged from 55 to 70 sr for all pollen types, without significant wavelength-dependence. Enhanced depolarization ratio was found when there were pollen grains in the atmosphere, and even higher depolarization ratio (with mean values of 25 % or 14 %) was observed with presence of the more non-spherical spruce or pine pollen. The depolarization ratio at 532 nm of pure pollen particles was assessed, resulting to 24 ± 3 % and 36 ± 5 % for birch and pine pollen, respectively. Pollen optical properties at 1064 nm and 355 nm were also estimated. The backscatter-related Ångström exponent between 532 and 1064 nm was assessed as ~ 0.8 (~ 0.5) for pure birch (pine) pollen, thus the longer wavelength would be better choice to trace pollen in the air. The pollen depolarization ratio at 355 nm of 17 % and 30 % were found for birch and pine pollen, respectively. The depolarization values show a wavelength dependence for pollen. This can be the key parameter for pollen detection and characterization.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 738-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison C Dibble ◽  
Francis A Drummond ◽  
Lois Berg Stack

Abstract In a common garden study in Maine from 2012 to 2015, we used two bee species (Apis mellifera L. and Bombus ternarius Say (1837)) and three field-recognizable bee categories (‘Most Bombus’, ‘Halictidae’, and ‘Other Bees’) plus an ‘All Bees’ data aggregation to compare 17 native and 68 introduced plant taxa. Data were from three 1-min timed periods per flowering plant taxon on a given day at a site. We observed 17,792 bees and found that their response varied by bee species or group. Using mixed models to analyze our data, we found that native bees had higher visitation rates on native plants, while A. mellifera visited both native and introduced plants. Most groups visited native late-flowering and native mid-late-flowering plants at higher rates. ‘All Bees’ were attracted to native perennials (vs annuals and shrubs) and to tall plants, both native and introduced; A. mellifera was attracted to introduced perennials, to introduced tall plants, and to lower-growing native plants. Asclepias tuberosa L. elicited a strong response from B. ternarius. In only two of six pairs of wild types and cultivars, bees visited wild types more. Plants with long bloom periods and with small, densely arranged white flowers attracted higher bee visitation than did other configurations (e.g., Origanum vulgare L., one of our most attractive taxa). A general linear model showed that linear combinations of flower density, floral resource height, flower corolla depth, and flowering duration explained significant variation in visitation rates for each of the different bee taxa groups.


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