Airborne pollen of entomophilous plants and spores of pteridophytes in Rzeszów and its environs (SE Poland)

Airborne pollen of entomophilous plants occurred in low or very low concentrations, and constituted 4 of the total pollen sum. In 1997–2002, between 18 and 26 taxa were identified. Out of this large group the following taxa were represented in larger concentrations every year– Salix, Acer, Morus, Cichorioideae, Asterioideae, Plantago major/media, Sambucus nigra and Tilia. Microscopic examination revealed that pollen grains of the above mentioned species were often glued together, which is a typical adaptation to this kind of pollination. Club moss (Lycopodium spp.) and horsetail (Equisetum spp.) spores were recorded sporadically. Fern spores were found frequently but in very low numbers. In 2002 the occurrence of the airborne pollen of entomophilous plants in the city and in the countryside was compared. A higher percentage value of pollen was found in the atmosphere of the city rather than in the countryside, due to the high concentration of Acer pollen, which is a partly entomophilous species and common in municipal plantings. In the countryside air there was a higher concentration of pollen from purely entomophilous species, such as Viburnum and Asteroideae.     

Airborne pollen grains in Yalova,Turkey, 2004

In this study, airborne pollen grains of Yalova province were investigated using VPSS 2000 from January to December 2004. During studying period, a total of 22409 pollen grains/m³ which belonged to 46 taxa and 74 unidentified pollen grains were recorded. From the identified taxa, 26 belong to arboreal and 20 to non-arboreal plants. Total pollen grains consist of 80.50% arboreal, 19.17% non-arboreal plants and 0.33% unidentified pollen grains. In the investigated region, from arboreal plant taxa Platanus spp. (29.08%), Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (21.22%), Pinus spp. (7.34%), Alnus spp. (4.75%), Castanea spp. (3.03%), Quercus spp. (3.07%), Olea spp. (2.50%), Acer spp. (2.21%), Corylus spp. (1.41%) and Fagus spp. (1.15%), and from non-arboreal plant taxa Poaceae (10.01%), Asteraceae (2.86%), Plantago spp. (1.47%) and Artemisia spp. (1.11%) were responsible for the greatest amounts of pollen.     

Incidence of allergenic pollen of Acer spp., Fraxinus spp. and Platanus spp. in the city of La Plata, Argentina: preliminary results

This work studies the airborne pollenconcentrations of Acer spp.,Fraxinus spp. and Platanus spp. sincethe pollen of these three taxa has beencharacterized as etiological agents ofpollinosis. These tree species are present inlarge amounts in the streets of La Plata city.The aeropalynological monitoring was performedwith a Hirst-type spore trap (Lanzoni VPPS,2000). The emission period of the three taxaextends from approximately late August to October.The maximum cumulative totalof arboreal pollen was found to be 30824.7from September 12 to 18. This period coincideswith the peak of total pollen concentration.Pollen grains trapped were analysed andexpressed as daily averages of 5-hour bandsper day during the whole year. Maximum pollenconcentration was registered between 10 a.m.and 2 p.m. During the studied period, 67 patients examinedat the Allergy Service of ``Hospital Interzonalde Agudos R. Rossi' (La Plata) showed allergicdisease. These allergenic episodes may beproduced by the large amount of pollen trees inthe city area.     

Airborne fungal spores in urban and rural environments in Poland

The concentrations of airborne fungal spores were measured during 2001–2002 in two sites in Poland—one in the city and the other in the countryside. The sites differed in habitat characteristics, such as urbanisation level, vegetation and microclimate. The aim of the study was to determine if, and in which way, land use type would affect spore occurrence. The volumetric method was used, and ten easily identifiable spore types were sampled and anyalysed: Alternaria, Botrytis, Cladosporium, Epiccocum, Ganoderma, Pithomyces, Polythrincium, Stemphylium, Torula and Drechslera. The season of spore occurrence was determined using the 90% method. The fungal spores studied were very frequent in the air (in most instances at a frequency higher than 50%). The most common spores were those of Cladosporium, with a frequency range of 83.1–90.5%. In both years the proportion of Cladosporium spores was statistically significantly higher in the city. In both 2001 and 2002 the total seasonal sum of all the spores was higher in the countryside than in the city as was the Seasonal Fungal Index (SFI) values and average concentrations of Botrytis, Ganoderma and Torula. These latter three genera are usually represented as pathogens of plants. The mean spore concentrations of most taxa were significantly higher in the rural environment. Correlation coefficients between daily concentrations at both sites for most of the taxa studied were significant, but with lower correlation values between variables. Such results indicate that the values from the sites are weakly interdependent. The study confirms that land use type may very likely have an impact on the course of spore occurrence, the mean daily concentrations of spores as well as SFI values.     

Airborne pollen in Bahía Blanca,Argentina: seasonal distribution of pollen types

The composition and seasonal distribution of airborne pollen grains in the atmosphere of Bahía Blanca, Argentina, has been studied between June 2001 and December 2003 using the Rotorod sampler (model 40). The results show that the main pollen types during this period were Cupressaceae, Fraxinus, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Amaranthus/Chenopodiaceae, Pinus, Urticaceae, Ulmus, Olea and Styphnolobium. The highest concentrations occurred from August to December (end of winter and spring), accounting for 80% of the total annual pollen count. The greatest diversity was found in the spring, with the major of pollen coming from short-flowering plant types, such as Populus, Acer, Platanus, Juglans, Tamarix, Ailanthus and Typha. The potential sources of pollen from woody ornamental species are Cupressus sempervirens, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Fraxinus pennsylvanica. whereas those from herbaceous species are the Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae, which are found within the city and also in the surrounding natural vegetation, and the Urticaceae, which are only present in the city. Marked annual differences were noted during the study period. The increase in 2002 may have been due to the abundant rainfall that occurred prior to the spring season, which would have favored the vegetative stage and flower development of plants. The decrease in pollen concentration in 2003 was mainly due to low rainfall throughout the year.     

Seasonal variation of collected pollen loads of honeybees (Apis mellifera L. anatoliaca)

Pollen collected by honeybees foraging in the region of Bursa, Turkey was analysed for a whole year. Pollen loads were collected from the hives of Apis mellifera anatoliaca once a week and were classified by colour. Forty‐one taxa were identified from the pollen analyses of the loads and 14 of these had percentages higher than 1%. Only 2.05% of the total pollen could not have been identified. Dominant taxa include; Brassicaceae (11.19%), Helianthus annuus L. (10.84%), Cichorioideae (8.93%) Salix spp. (7.99%), Rosaceae (7.37%), Centaurea spp. (7.56%), Papaver spp. (7.41%), Knautia spp. (6.99%), Fabaceae (6.01%), Asteraceae (5.73%), Xanthium spp. (2.65%), Chrozophora spp. (2.45%), Plantago spp. (1.56%) and Acer spp. (1.54%) representing 88.23% of the total. Distinct variations in plant usage are seen through the year with initial use of Rosaceae, Salix, and to a lesser extent Brassicaeae. As these groups finish flowering the bees move onto Helianthus annuus, Centaurea through the summer followed by Asteraceae in the late summer and Fabaceae in the autumn. There is a strong reliance on crop species for pollen forage but a number of indigenous species are also seen within the samples. The most productive period for collecting various pollen types, and the ideal period to determine pollen preferences of honey bees was June‐August.     

An Aeropalynological study of the Porto region (Portugal)

The annual airborne pollen variation of thePorto region was studied from November 2001 toOctober 2002 using a Cour type sampler. A totalof 170 × 10⁶ grains m^?2 belonging to63 taxa was observed. The vegetationsurrounding the sampling point includesornamental, non-ornamental trees, shrubs andherbaceous species. The main pollen types wereCupressaceae, Gramineae, Hamamelidaceae, Pinaceae,Urticaceae, Quercus spp.,Acer spp., Myrtaceae,Caryophyllaceae, Oleaceae,Betulaceae and Plantago spp. thatrepresented 88% of the Porto pollen spectrum.Gramineae, Cupressaceae,Myrtaceae, Oleaceae, Pinaceae andUrticaceae pollen are found throughoutthe year. Concerning total pollenconcentration, the distribution throughout theyear is very irregular, with several annualpeaks, with the maximum concentrationregistered between the end of March and thefirst two weeks of April and the lowestobserved during autumn.     

Ultrastruktur und Verteilung des Pollenkitts in der insekten- und windblütigen GattungAcer (Aceraceae)

Several insect- and wind-pollinated species of the genusAcer have been investigated and compared in regard to pollen stickiness. The considerable amount of very inhomogeneous pollenkitt inA. negundo remains on the loculus wall or is deposited inside the exine cavities; thus the pollen is powdery. The small amount of non-homogeneous, granular pollenkitt inA. campestre mostly disappears into the exine cavities; only small droplets appear on the tectum surface; the pollen stickiness therefore is only moderate. On the other hand,A. pseudoplatanus andA. opalus produce an average amount of granular pollenkitt, which is deposited partially inside the exine and partially as a slender film on the tectum surface; in both the pollen is sticky.A. platanoides contains a great deal of granular and homogeneous pollenkitt; it does not only fill up the exine cavities but also extends as a thick, ± homogeneous, non-granular layer of pollenkitt over the tectum surface; therefore, the pollen is very sticky.—The characteristics of pollen agglutination together with other aspects of floral biology illustrate the wide spectrum between unequivocal entomophily and anemophily within the genusAcer: WhileA. negundo is anemophilous andA. platanoides is entomophilous, the remaining species investigated have a pollination syndrome with entomophilous and anemophilous features and are thus amphiphilous. The evolution withinAcer is tending not only towards dioecy, but also towards anemophily.

Herrn Prof. Dr.L. Geitler zum 80. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

A 3-year airborne pollen and fungal spores record in San Carlos de Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina

Airborne pollen in San Carlos de Bariloche was sampled from September to March 2001–2004 with a Hirst-type volumetric spore trap placed at a height of 15 m in a city extending from the humid forests, through the mesic forests, to the steppe. The total amount of pollen recorded varied widely from year to year. The pollen index was 4,395 in the sampling period 2001/2002; 9,055 in 2002/2003 and 2,756 in 2003/2004. The main pollen period extended from October to January. In October, pollen concentration was the highest. Sixty-six pollen types were identified. Cupressaceae and Nothofagus were the major contributors. Betula, Prunus, Pinus and Populus, the most abundant ornamental taxa in the city, also contributed to the pollen record. Pollen of Maytenus and Lomatia was representative of the mesic forest, while pollen in the lower layers of the humid forest was present in trace amounts. Cupressaceae, Nothofagus and Betula prevailed during spring (September–December), and Plantago, Rumex and Poaceae during summer (December–March). The association of daily pollen concentration and meteorological variables, temperature (mean, maximum, minimum), dew point, rainfall and wind speed, was significant. Correlations showed to be negative, with the exception of that to wind speed. The total sum of fungi spores increased from 1,771 in 2001/2002; through 8,441 in 2002/2003 to 13,782 in 2003/2004. Relative concentration rose to 29%, 48% and 84% of the total number of pollen and fungal spores recorded during each sampling period.     

Intradiurnal variation of allergenic pollen in the city of Porto (Portugal)

This study reports the hourly distribution of the allergenic airborne pollen types more abundant in the atmosphere of Porto (Portugal) during the studied period. This knowledge will allow an adequacy daily routine for allergic patients during the hours of higher airborne concentrations. The airborne pollen concentration was continuously performed from January 2003 to December 2007 in the city of Porto using a Hirst-type volumetric sampler. Urticaceae, Cupressaceae, Acer spp., and Plantago spp. airborne pollen presented higher concentrations in the morning, while Alnus spp. and Betula spp. pollen were mainly present during the afternoon. Olea europaea and Platanus spp. pollen were regularly distributed along the day, while Poaceae and Pinus spp. pollen presented two diurnal maxima.