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Luna Á, Pomeda-Gutiérrez F, Galán Díaz J. Feeding ecology of the common wood pigeon ( Columba palumbus) in a major European city. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:1231721. [PMID: 39077219 PMCID: PMC11286133 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Urban configuration and food availability influence birds' foraging behaviour and constitute key factors for understanding how they exploit cities. Here, we conducted a field survey in the city of Madrid (Spain) from winter 2021 to autumn 2022 to understand how the common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) exploits the food resources provided by urban parks and streets across different seasons. The proportion of observations away from parks increased during winter and spring, and the proportion of observations of wood pigeons eating on the ground was the greatest in summer. The common wood pigeon fed from 45 tree species, 60% of which were exotic ornamental species. Most tree species used as food sources coincided with those widely planted in parks, streets and avenues. The preferred trees varied throughout the year, with a greater incidence of exotic species in winter and spring. Our results show that the diversity of trees available in cities and the use of non-native plants with contrasting phenological patterns compared with the local flora are crucial elements in explaining the successful establishment of the common wood pigeon in the city.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Luna
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid28670, Spain
| | - Fernando Pomeda-Gutiérrez
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation, Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid (RJB-CSIC), Madrid28014, Spain
| | - Javier Galán Díaz
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid28040, Spain
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla41012, Spain
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2
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Werchan M, Werchan B, Bogawski P, Mousavi F, Metz M, Bergmann KC. An emerging aeroallergen in Europe: Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima [Mill.] Swingle) inventory and pollen concentrations - Taking a metropolitan region in Germany as an example. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 930:172519. [PMID: 38636870 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Urban areas are often hotspots for the dissemination of non-native (invasive) plant species, some of which release (potentially) allergenic pollen. Given the high population density in cities, a considerable number of people can be regularly and potentially intensively exposed to the pollen from these plants. This study delves into the Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima, [Mill.] Swingle), native to East Asia, which is known for its high invasiveness in temperate regions worldwide, particularly favoring urban colonization. This study explores the botanical and aerobiological dimensions of this species using the central European metropolitan region of Berlin, Germany, as a case study, and provides a comprehensive global overview of allergological insights. The number of Ailanthus trees decreased markedly from the center to the periphery of Berlin City, following a temperature gradient. The same spatial trend was mirrored by airborne Ailanthus pollen concentrations measured with volumetric spore traps (Hirst-type) at five sites using seven traps. Ailanthus pollen was most abundant around midday and in the afternoon, with concentrations tenfold higher at street level than at roof level. The Ailanthus flowering period in June and July coincided well with the pollen season. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to investigate Ailanthus altissima pollen production. On average, 5539 pollen grains were found per anther. A literature review on the allergy relevance of Ailanthus altissima pollen indicates the high allergenic potential of pollen from this species. Considering the anticipated expansion of suitable habitats for Ailanthus owing to global warming and the allergological significance of its pollen, it is recommended to include Ailanthus pollen in routine pollen monitoring, particularly in areas colonized by this species. This comprehensive study provides new insights into a pollen taxon whose significance as an emerging aeroallergen should be factored into plant selection and greenspace management in all temperate regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Werchan
- German Pollen Information Service Foundation, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Allergology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Barbora Werchan
- German Pollen Information Service Foundation, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paweł Bogawski
- Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Faculty of Biology, Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Poznań, Poland
| | - Fateme Mousavi
- Air and Space Physiology Research Group, Aerospace Research Institute, Ministry of Science Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Martin Metz
- Institute of Allergology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Immunology and Allergology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Karl-Christian Bergmann
- German Pollen Information Service Foundation, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Allergology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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3
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Rojo J, Cervigón P, Ferencova Z, Cascón Á, Galán Díaz J, Romero-Morte J, Sabariego S, Torres M, Gutiérrez-Bustillo AM. Assessment of environmental risk areas based on airborne pollen patterns as a response to land use and land cover distribution. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 344:123385. [PMID: 38242303 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Allergic respiratory diseases are considered to be among the most important public health concerns, and pollen is the main cause of allergic respiratory diseases worldwide. However, the biological component of air quality is largely underestimated, and there is an important gap in the legislation in this area. The aims of this study were to characterise the occurrence and incidence of pollen exposure in relation to potential pollen sources and to delineate the main areas of aerobiological risk in the Madrid Autonomous Region based on homogeneous patterns of pollen exposure. This study uses the historical aerobiological database of the Madrid Region Palynological Network (central Spain) from ten pollen stations from 1994 to 2022, and the land-use information from the Corine Land Cover. Multiple clustering approaches were followed to group the sampling stations and subsequently all the 1 × 1km pixels for the Madrid Autonomous Region. The clustering dendrogram for land-use distribution was compared to the dendrogram for historical airborne pollen data. The two dendrograms showed a good alignment with a very high correlation (0.95) and very low entanglement (0.15), which indicates a close correspondence between the distribution of the potential pollen sources and the airborne pollen dynamics. Based on this knowledge, the Madrid Autonomous Region was divided into six aerobiological risk areas following a clear anthropogenic gradient in terms of the potential pollen sources that determine pollen exposure in the Madrid Region. Spatial regionalisation is a common practice in environmental risk assessment to improve the application of management plans and optimise the air quality monitoring networks. The risk areas proposed by scientific criteria in the Madrid Autonomous Region can be adjusted to other operational criteria following a framework equivalent to other air quality networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Rojo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Patricia Cervigón
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | | | - Ángel Cascón
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Javier Galán Díaz
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Jorge Romero-Morte
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Silvia Sabariego
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Margarita Torres
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
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4
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Tastassa AC, Sharaby Y, Lang-Yona N. Aeromicrobiology: A global review of the cycling and relationships of bioaerosols with the atmosphere. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:168478. [PMID: 37967625 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Airborne microorganisms and biological matter (bioaerosols) play a key role in global biogeochemical cycling, human and crop health trends, and climate patterns. Their presence in the atmosphere is controlled by three main stages: emission, transport, and deposition. Aerial survival rates of bioaerosols are increased through adaptations such as ultra-violet radiation and desiccation resistance or association with particulate matter. Current research into modern concerns such as climate change, global gene transfer, and pathogenicity often neglects to consider atmospheric involvement. This comprehensive review outlines the transpiring of bioaerosols across taxa in the atmosphere, with significant focus on their interactions with environmental elements including abiotic factors (e.g., atmospheric composition, water cycle, and pollution) and events (e.g., dust storms, hurricanes, and wildfires). The aim of this review is to increase understanding and shed light on needed research regarding the interplay between global atmospheric phenomena and the aeromicrobiome. The abundantly documented bacteria and fungi are discussed in context of their cycling and human health impacts. Gaps in knowledge regarding airborne viral community, the challenges and importance of studying their composition, concentrations and survival in the air are addressed, along with understudied plant pathogenic oomycetes, and archaea cycling. Key methodologies in sampling, collection, and processing are described to provide an up-to-date picture of ameliorations in the field. We propose optimization to microbiological methods, commonly used in soil and water analysis, that adjust them to the context of aerobiology, along with other directions towards novel and necessary advancements. This review offers new perspectives into aeromicrobiology and calls for advancements in global-scale bioremediation, insights into ecology, climate change impacts, and pathogenicity transmittance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel C Tastassa
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003 Haifa, Israel
| | - Yehonatan Sharaby
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003 Haifa, Israel
| | - Naama Lang-Yona
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003 Haifa, Israel.
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5
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Picornell A, Maya-Manzano JM, Fernández-Ramos M, Hidalgo-Barquero JJ, Pecero-Casimiro R, Ruiz-Mata R, de Gálvez-Montañez E, Del Mar Trigo M, Recio M, Fernández-Rodríguez S. Effects of climate change on Platanus flowering in Western Mediterranean cities: Current trends and future projections. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167800. [PMID: 37838045 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Ornamental trees can reduce some of the negative impacts of urbanization on citizens but some species, such as Platanus spp., produce pollen with high allergenic potential. This can exacerbate the symptomatology in allergic patients, being a public health problem. Therefore, it would be relevant to determine the environmental conditions regulating the flowering onset of the Platanus species. The aims of this study were to use aerobiological records for modelling the thermal requirements of Platanus flowering and to make future projections based on the effects that climate change could have on it under several possible future scenarios. This study was conducted in Badajoz and Malaga, two Western Mediterranean cities with different climate conditions. In the first step, several main pollen season definitions were applied to the aerobiological data and their onset dates were compared with in situ phenological observations. The main pollen season definition that best fitted the Platanus flowering onset was based on the 4th derivative of a logistic function. This definition was used as a proxy to model the thermal requirements of the Platanus flowering onset by applying the PhenoFlex statistical framework. The errors obtained by this model during the external validation were 3.2 days on average, so it was fed with future temperature estimations to determine possible future trends. According to the different models, the flowering onset of Platanus in Badajoz will show heterogeneous responses in the short and medium term due to different balances in the chilling-forcing compensation, while it will clearly delay in Malaga due to a significant delay in the chilling requirement fulfilment. This may increase the chances of cross-reactivity episodes with other pollen types in the future, increasing its impact on public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Picornell
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos S/N., E-29071 Malaga, Spain.
| | - José M Maya-Manzano
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Marta Fernández-Ramos
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Juan J Hidalgo-Barquero
- University Institute for Research on Water, Climate Change and Sustainability, University of Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Raúl Pecero-Casimiro
- Department of Didactics of Experimental Sciences and Mathematics, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Rocío Ruiz-Mata
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos S/N., E-29071 Malaga, Spain
| | - Enrique de Gálvez-Montañez
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos S/N., E-29071 Malaga, Spain
| | - María Del Mar Trigo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos S/N., E-29071 Malaga, Spain
| | - Marta Recio
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos S/N., E-29071 Malaga, Spain
| | - Santiago Fernández-Rodríguez
- Department of Construction, School of Technology, University of Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad s/n, Caceres, Spain
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6
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Suarez-Suarez M, Costa-Gómez I, Maya-Manzano JM, Rojo J, Hentges F, Porcsin I, Sarda-Estève R, Baisnée D, Schmidt-Weber C, Buters J. Diurnal pattern of Poaceae and Betula pollen flight in Central Europe. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 900:165799. [PMID: 37499822 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
In Central Europe the most common allergies are provoked by grass or birch pollen allergens. We determined the intra-daily behavior of airborne pollen grains of grasses (Poaceae) and birch (Betula ssp.) in Central Europe, based on data obtained from a network of automatic pollen monitors over Europe (www.pollenscience.eu). Our aim was to determine the time of day when the lowest concentrations occur, to provide allergic individuals the optimal time to ventilate their homes. The study was carried out in three Central European capitals, Berlin (Germany), Paris-Saclay (France), and Luxembourg (Luxembourg), as well as in eight stations in Germany (Altötting, Feucht, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Hof, Marktheidenfeld, Mindelheim, Munich and Viechtach). The diurnal rhythm of these eleven locations was analyzed for either the complete, first week, peak week, peak day and last week of the pollen season. The data studied were reported as pollen/m3 measured in 3 h periods. Stations were classified as city, semi-populated or countryside areas using land-use and population density criteria. Grass pollen has a more pronounced diurnal rhythm than birch pollen concentrations. A significant difference was observed when comparing day (6-21 h) versus night (21-6 h) for all stations. No difference was detected between city and countryside for both pollen types, although for Poaceae a longer period of maximum concentrations was observed in big cities and higher day/night-time differences were registered in the countryside (6.4) than in cities (3.0). The highest pollen concentrations were observed between 9 and 18 h for grass, but the rhythm was less pronounced for birch pollen. For allergic individuals who want to bring in fresh air in their homes, we recommend opening windows after 21 h, but even better early in the morning between 6 and 9 h before pollinations (re)starts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariel Suarez-Suarez
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center, Munich 80802, Germany.; Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Technical University of Cartagena, Cartagena 30202, Spain
| | - Isabel Costa-Gómez
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center, Munich 80802, Germany.; Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Technical University of Cartagena, Cartagena 30202, Spain
| | - Jose M Maya-Manzano
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center, Munich 80802, Germany.; Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (Botany area), Faculty of Sciences, University of Extremadura, Badajoz 06006, Spain
| | - Jesús Rojo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - François Hentges
- National Unit of Immunology and Allergology, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 1210, Luxembourg
| | - Ildiko Porcsin
- National Unit of Immunology and Allergology, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 1210, Luxembourg
| | - Roland Sarda-Estève
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, CEA Orme des merisiers, UMR 8212, 91190 Saint-Aubain, France; Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique, Le Plat du Pin, 69690 Brussieu, France; Climate and Atmosphere Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Aglantzia, 2121 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Dominique Baisnée
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, CEA Orme des merisiers, UMR 8212, 91190 Saint-Aubain, France
| | - Carsten Schmidt-Weber
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center, Munich 80802, Germany
| | - Jeroen Buters
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center, Munich 80802, Germany..
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7
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López-Orozco R, García-Mozo H, Oteros J, Galán C. Long-term trends and influence of climate and land-use changes on pollen profiles of a Mediterranean oak forest. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 897:165400. [PMID: 37423282 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is disrupting phenology and interaction patterns of natural ecosystems, but also human activities that modify land-uses have a direct impact, especially on species distribution and loss of biodiversity. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of climate and land-use changes on phenology and airborne pollen spectrum in a Mediterranean natural area, dominated by Quercus Forest and 'dehesa', in the South of the Iberian Peninsula. 61 different pollen types were identified over a 23-year period (1998-2020), mainly from trees and shrubs, such as Quercus, Olea, Pinus or Pistacia, and from herbaceous plants, such as Poaceae, Plantago, Urticaceae or Rumex. A comparison of pollen data from the first years of the study (1998-2002) up recent years (2016-2020), showed a substantial decrease in the relative abundance of pollen from autochthonous species associated with natural areas, such as Quercus or Plantago. However, the relative abundance of the pollen from cultivated ones such as Olea and Pinus, which is used for reforestation has increased. Regarding flowering phenology trends, our analyses revealed variations between -1.5 and 1.5 days per year. Taxa showing an advance phenology were Olea, Poaceae and Urticaceae, whereas Quercus, Pinus, Plantago, Pistacia or Cyperaceae experienced delayed pollination. Meteorological trends in the area generally resulted in an increase in both minimum and maximum temperatures, along with a decrease in precipitations. Changes in pollen concentration and phenology were correlated with changes in air temperatures and precipitation, although the positive or negative influence varied for each pollen type. The results suggest that climate change together with those motivated by land cover changes lead by human activities are having an impact on the phenology and pollen concentration, with the related consequences on pollination and therefore biodiversity more concerning in threatened areas as the Mediterranean Basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- R López-Orozco
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Rabbinates Campus, Celestino Mutis Building, E-14071 Córdoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain.
| | - H García-Mozo
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Rabbinates Campus, Celestino Mutis Building, E-14071 Córdoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain.
| | - J Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Rabbinates Campus, Celestino Mutis Building, E-14071 Córdoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain.
| | - C Galán
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Rabbinates Campus, Celestino Mutis Building, E-14071 Córdoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain.
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8
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Marini G, Tagliapietra V, Cristofolini F, Cristofori A, Dagostin F, Zuccali MG, Molinaro S, Gottardini E, Rizzoli A. Correlation between airborne pollen data and the risk of tick-borne encephalitis in northern Italy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8262. [PMID: 37217780 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35478-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a flavivirus that infects animals including humans. In Europe, the TBE virus circulates enzootically in natural foci among ticks and rodent hosts. The abundance of ticks depends on the abundance of rodent hosts, which in turn depends on the availability of food resources, such as tree seeds. Trees can exhibit large inter-annual fluctuations in seed production (masting), which influences the abundance of rodents the following year, and the abundance of nymphal ticks two years later. Thus, the biology of this system predicts a 2-year time lag between masting and the incidence of tick-borne diseases such as TBE. As airborne pollen abundance is related to masting, we investigated whether inter-annual variation in pollen load could be directly correlated with inter-annual variation in the incidence of TBE in human populations with a 2-year time lag. We focused our study on the province of Trento (northern Italy), where 206 TBE cases were notified between 1992 and 2020. We tested the relationship between TBE incidence and pollen load collected from 1989 to 2020 for 7 different tree species common in our study area. Through univariate analysis we found that the pollen quantities recorded two years prior for two tree species, hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia) and downy oak (Quercus pubescens), were positively correlated with TBE emergence (R2 = 0.2) while a multivariate model with both tree species better explained the variation in annual TBE incidence (R2 = 0.34). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at quantifying the correlation between pollen quantities and the incidence of TBE in human populations. As pollen loads are collected by widespread aerobiological networks using standardized procedures, our study could be easily replicated to test their potential as early warning system for TBE and other tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Marini
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy.
| | - Valentina Tagliapietra
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Fabiana Cristofolini
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Antonella Cristofori
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Francesca Dagostin
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | | | | | - Elena Gottardini
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Annapaola Rizzoli
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
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9
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Rodríguez-Fernández A, Blanco-Alegre C, Vega-Maray AM, Valencia-Barrera RM, Molnár T, Fernández-González D. Effect of prevailing winds and land use on Alternaria airborne spore load. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 332:117414. [PMID: 36731420 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Alternaria spores are a common component of the bioaerosol. Many Alternaria species are plant pathogens, and their conidia are catalogued as important aeroallergens. Several aerobiological studies showing a strong relationship between concentrations of airborne spore and meteorological parameters have consequently been developed. However, the Alternaria airborne load variation has not been thoroughly investigated because it is difficult to assess their sources, as they are a very common and widely established phytopathogen. The objective of this study is to estimate the impact of vegetation and land uses as potential sources on airborne spore load and to know their influence, particularly, in cases of long-medium distance transport. The daily airborne spore concentration was studied over a 5-year period in León and Valladolid, two localities of Castilla y León (Spain), with differences in their bioclimatic and land use aspects. Moreover, the land use analysis carried out within a 30 km radius of each monitoring station was combined with air mass data in order to search for potential emission sources. The results showed a great spatial variation between the two areas, which are relatively close to each other. The fact that the spore concentrations recorded in Valladolid were higher than those in León was owing to prevailing winds originating from large areas covered by cereal crops, especially during the harvest period. However, the prevailing winds in León came from areas dominated by forest and shrubland, which explains the low airborne spore load, since the main Alternaria sources were the grasslands located next to the trap. Furthermore, the risk days in this location presented an unusual wind direction. This study reveals the importance of land cover and wind speed and direction data for establishing potential airborne routes of spore transport in order to improve the Alternaria forecasting models. The importance of conducting Alternaria aerobiological studies at a local level is also highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ana María Vega-Maray
- Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management (Botany), University of León, León, Spain
| | | | - Tibor Molnár
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development. Szent István University, Szarvas, Hungary
| | - Delia Fernández-González
- Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management (Botany), University of León, León, Spain; Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate-CNR, Bologna, Italy
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10
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Maya-Manzano JM, Tummon F, Abt R, Allan N, Bunderson L, Clot B, Crouzy B, Daunys G, Erb S, Gonzalez-Alonso M, Graf E, Grewling Ł, Haus J, Kadantsev E, Kawashima S, Martinez-Bracero M, Matavulj P, Mills S, Niederberger E, Lieberherr G, Lucas RW, O'Connor DJ, Oteros J, Palamarchuk J, Pope FD, Rojo J, Šaulienė I, Schäfer S, Schmidt-Weber CB, Schnitzler M, Šikoparija B, Skjøth CA, Sofiev M, Stemmler T, Triviño M, Zeder Y, Buters J. Towards European automatic bioaerosol monitoring: Comparison of 9 automatic pollen observational instruments with classic Hirst-type traps. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 866:161220. [PMID: 36584954 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
To benefit allergy patients and the medical practitioners, pollen information should be available in both a reliable and timely manner; the latter is only recently possible due to automatic monitoring. To evaluate the performance of all currently available automatic instruments, an international intercomparison campaign was jointly organised by the EUMETNET AutoPollen Programme and the ADOPT COST Action in Munich, Germany (March-July 2021). The automatic systems (hardware plus identification algorithms) were compared with manual Hirst-type traps. Measurements were aggregated into 3-hourly or daily values to allow comparison across all devices. We report results for total pollen as well as for Betula, Fraxinus, Poaceae, and Quercus, for all instruments that provided these data. The results for daily averages compared better with Hirst observations than the 3-hourly values. For total pollen, there was a considerable spread among systems, with some reaching R2 > 0.6 (3 h) and R2 > 0.75 (daily) compared with Hirst-type traps, whilst other systems were not suitable to sample total pollen efficiently (R2 < 0.3). For individual pollen types, results similar to the Hirst were frequently shown by a small group of systems. For Betula, almost all systems performed well (R2 > 0.75 for 9 systems for 3-hourly data). Results for Fraxinus and Quercus were not as good for most systems, while for Poaceae (with some exceptions), the performance was weakest. For all pollen types and for most measurement systems, false positive classifications were observed outside of the main pollen season. Different algorithms applied to the same device also showed different results, highlighting the importance of this aspect of the measurement system. Overall, given the 30 % error on daily concentrations that is currently accepted for Hirst-type traps, several automatic systems are currently capable of being used operationally to provide real-time observations at high temporal resolutions. They provide distinct advantages compared to the manual Hirst-type measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Maya-Manzano
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany.
| | - Fiona Tummon
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss), Payerne, Switzerland.
| | | | | | | | - Bernard Clot
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss), Payerne, Switzerland.
| | - Benoît Crouzy
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss), Payerne, Switzerland.
| | | | - Sophie Erb
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss), Payerne, Switzerland.
| | | | | | - Łukasz Grewling
- Laboratory of Aerobiology, Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Jörg Haus
- Helmut Hund Wetzlar, Wetzlar, Germany.
| | | | | | | | - Predrag Matavulj
- BioSense Institute Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia.
| | - Sophie Mills
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
| | | | - Gian Lieberherr
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss), Payerne, Switzerland.
| | | | - David J O'Connor
- School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Jose Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
| | | | - Francis D Pope
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
| | - Jesus Rojo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | | | | | - Carsten B Schmidt-Weber
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany.
| | | | - Branko Šikoparija
- BioSense Institute Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia.
| | - Carsten A Skjøth
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Marina Triviño
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Jeroen Buters
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany.
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11
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Maya-Manzano JM, Oteros J, Rojo J, Traidl-Hoffmann C, Schmidt-Weber C, Buters J. Drivers of the release of the allergens Bet v 1 and Phl p 5 from birch and grass pollen. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 214:113987. [PMID: 35961547 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The drivers affecting the Pollen Allergen Potency (PAP, amount of allergen released per pollen) are sparsely known. Betula and Poaceae airborne pollen are the two main allergenic pollen in the World. Airborne pollen and their allergens Bet v 1 and Phl p 5 were simultaneously measured from 2010 to 2015 in Davos (Switzerland) and Munich (Germany) by using volumetric traps and ChemVol cascade impactors. Daily variations in PAP were analysed in PM>10 and PM2.5-10 air fractions and generalized additive models were created to explain which factors determine PAP, including meteorological parameters and inorganic pollutants. 87.1 ± 13.9% of Bet v 1 and 88.8 ± 15.5% of Phl p 5 was detected in the fraction PM>10 where most pollen grains were collected. Significantly higher PAP for grasses (3.5 ± 1.9 pg Phl p 5/pollen grain) were observed in Munich than in Davos (2.4 ± 1.5 pg/pollen grain, p < 0.001), but not for Betula (2.5 ± 1.6 pg Bet v 1/pollen grain in Munich and 2.3 ± 1.7 in Davos, N.S.). PAP varied between days, years and location, and increased along the pollen season for Poaceae, but remaining constant for Betula. Free allergens (allergens observed in the fraction with limited pollen, PM2.5- 10) were recorded mostly at the beginning or at the end of the pollen season, being linked to higher humidity and rainy days. Also, PAP was higher when the airborne pollen concentrations increased rapidly after one day of low/moderate levels. Our findings show that pollen exposure explains allergen exposure only to a limited extend, and that day in the season, geographic location and some weather conditions need to be considered also to explain symptoms of allergic individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Maya-Manzano
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jose Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain.
| | - Jesús Rojo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
| | - Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany; Institute of Environmental Medicine, Helmholtz Center Munich - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Augsburg, Germany; Christine Kühne Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland
| | - Carsten Schmidt-Weber
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jeroen Buters
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany
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12
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Biological-based and remote sensing techniques to link vegetative and reproductive development and assess pollen emission in Mediterranean grasses. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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13
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Rodríguez-Fernández A, Oteros J, Vega-Maray AM, Valencia-Barrera RM, Galán C, Fernández-González D. How to select the optimal monitoring locations for an aerobiological network: A case of study in central northwest of Spain. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154370. [PMID: 35276149 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Airborne pollen concentration varies depending on several factors, such as local plant biodiversity, geography and climatology. These particles are involved in triggering pollinosis in a share of worldwide human population, and adequate monitoring is, therefore, important. However, the pollen traps in aerobiological monitoring networks are usually installed in cities, and the features of the whole territory are not taken into account. The aim of this study was to analyze what environmental parameters are more suitable as regards setting up monitoring stations throughout a territory in order to obtain an aerobiological network that can represent environmental diversity. The analysis was carried out in 13 locations in Castilla y León over an 8 year period. This is a favorable territory in which to conduct this type of study owing to its climatic features, orography and biodiversity. The ten most abundant pollen types in the region were analyzed, and a clustering analysis was calculated with different distances so as to obtain homogeneous groups of stations. Moreover, the clusters obtained were analyzed in combination with altitudinal and different bioclimatic parameters, which derived from temperature and precipitation. The result here shows that the Castilla y León aerobiological network RACYL represents most of the environmental variability of the territory. Furthermore, it can be divided into two clusters and five sub-clusters for which the start of the main pollen season is different. This corresponds with the division of the territory as regards bioclimatic conditions. The most important bioclimatic parameters were the seasonality of the precipitation and the maximum temperature of the warmest month, although orography must also be taken into account. All of these help discover the optimal places in which to install traps and could reduce the number of monitoring stations. This study additionally provides data for unmonitored areas with similar bioclimatic conditions to those monitored.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology, Plant Physiology, University of Córdoba, Spain
| | | | | | - Carmen Galán
- Department of Botany, Ecology, Plant Physiology, University of Córdoba, Spain
| | - Delia Fernández-González
- Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Spain; Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate-CNR, Bologna, Italy
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14
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Picornell A, Rojo J, Trigo MM, Ruiz-Mata R, Lara B, Romero-Morte J, Serrano-García A, Pérez-Badia R, Gutiérrez-Bustillo M, Cervigón-Morales P, Ferencova Z, Morales-González J, Sánchez-Reyes E, Fuentes-Antón S, Sánchez-Sánchez J, Dávila I, Oteros J, Martínez-Bracero M, Galán C, García-Mozo H, Alcázar P, Fernández S, González-Alonso M, Robles E, de Zabalza AP, Ariño AH, Recio M. Environmental drivers of the seasonal exposure to airborne Alternaria spores in Spain. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 823:153596. [PMID: 35122844 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Alternaria conidia have high allergenic potential and they can trigger important respiratory diseases. Due to that and to their extensive detection period, airborne Alternaria spores are considered as a relevant airborne allergenic particle. Several studies have been developed in order to predict the human exposure to this aeroallergen and to prevent their negative effects on sensitive population. These studies revealed that some sampling locations usually have just one single Alternaria spore season while other locations generally have two seasons within the same year. However, the reasons of these two different seasonal patterns remain unclear. To understand them better, the present study was carried out in order to determine if there are any weather conditions that influence these different behaviours at different sampling locations. With this purpose, the airborne Alternaria spore concentrations of 18 sampling locations in a wide range of latitudinal, altitudinal and climate ranges of Spain were studied. The aerobiological samples were obtained by means of Hirst-Type volumetric pollen traps, and the seasonality of the airborne Alternaria spores were analysed. The optimal weather conditions for spore production were studied, and the main weather factor affecting Alternaria spore seasonality were analysed by means of random forests and regression trees. The results showed that the temperature was the most relevant variable for the Alternaria spore dispersion and it influenced both the spore integrals and their seasonality. The water availability was also a very significant variable. Warmer sampling locations generally have a longer period of Alternaria spore detection. However, the spore production declines during the summer when the temperatures are extremely warm, what splits the favourable period for Alternaria spore production and dispersion into two separate ones, detected as two Alternaria spore seasons within the same year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Picornell
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain.
| | - Jesús Rojo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain; University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - M Mar Trigo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - Rocío Ruiz-Mata
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - Beatriz Lara
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - Jorge Romero-Morte
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - Alicia Serrano-García
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - Rosa Pérez-Badia
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - Montserrat Gutiérrez-Bustillo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Cervigón-Morales
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Zuzana Ferencova
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julia Morales-González
- Department of Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Estefanía Sánchez-Reyes
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, Licenciado Méndez Nieto s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain; Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE), Universidad de Salamanca, Río Duero 12, 37185 Villamayor, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Sergio Fuentes-Antón
- Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Universidad de Salamanca, Paseo de Canalejas 169, 37008, Salamanca, Spain
| | - José Sánchez-Sánchez
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, Licenciado Méndez Nieto s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain; Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE), Universidad de Salamanca, Río Duero 12, 37185 Villamayor, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Ignacio Dávila
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Salamanca, Alfonso X El Sabio s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain; Servicio de Alergia, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Jose Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - Moisés Martínez-Bracero
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain; School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Carmen Galán
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - Herminia García-Mozo
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - Purificación Alcázar
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - Santiago Fernández
- Department of Construction, Polythecnic School, University of Extremadura, Extremadura, Spain
| | | | - Estrella Robles
- Department of Environmental Biology, University of Navarra, Navarra, Spain
| | | | - Arturo H Ariño
- Department of Environmental Biology, University of Navarra, Navarra, Spain
| | - Marta Recio
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
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15
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González-Fernández E, Álvarez-López S, Garrido A, Fernández-González M, Rodríguez-Rajo FJ. Data mining assessment of Poaceae pollen influencing factors and its environmental implications. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 815:152874. [PMID: 34999063 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Poaceae pollen is highly allergenic, with a marked contribution to the pollen worldwide allergy prevalence. Pollen counts are defined by the species present in the considered area, although year-to-year oscillations may be triggered by different parameters, among which are weather conditions. Due to the predominant role of Poaceae pollen in the allergenicity in urban green areas, the aim of this study was the analysis of pollen trends and the influence of meteorology to forecast relevant variations in airborne pollen levels. The study was carried out during the 1993-2020 period in Ourense, in NW Iberian Peninsula. We used a volumetric Lanzoni VPPS 2000 trap for recording Poaceae airborne pollen grains, and meteorological daily data were obtained from the Galician Institute for Meteorology and Oceanography. The main indexes of the pollen season and their trends were calculated. A correlation analysis and 'C5.0 Decision Trees and Rule-Based Models' data mining algorithm were applied to determine the influence of meteorological conditions on pollen levels. We detected atmospheric Poaceae pollen during 139 days on average, mainly from April to August. The mean pollen grains amount recorded during the pollen season was 4608 pollen grains, with the pollen maximum peak of 276 pollen/m3 on 27 June. We found no statistically significant trends and slight slopes for the seasonal indexes, similarly to previous Poaceae studies in the same region. The calculated C5.0 model offered defined results, indicating that the combination of mean temperature above 17.46 °C and sunlight exposure higher than 12.7 h is conductive to significantly high pollen levels. The obtained results make possible the identification of risk moments during the pollen season for the activation of protective measures for sensitized population to grass pollen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sabela Álvarez-López
- Department of Plant Biology and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain
| | - Alejandro Garrido
- Department of Plant Biology and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain
| | - María Fernández-González
- Department of Plant Biology and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain.
| | - Fco Javier Rodríguez-Rajo
- Department of Plant Biology and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain
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16
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Impact of Local Grasslands on Wild Grass Pollen Emission in Bavaria, Germany. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11020306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Meteorological conditions and the distribution of pollen sources are the two most decisive factors influencing the concentration of airborne grass pollen. However, knowledge about land-use types, their potential pollen emission, and the importance of local sources remains limited. In this study, wild grass pollen concentrations from 27 stations in Bavaria, Germany, were linked to potential pollen within a 30 km radius. Agricultural grass pollen sources were derived from the InVeKos database, which contains detailed information on agricultural land-use types and their spatial distribution. Non-agricultural grassland was identified by OpenStreetMap. Further source classification was conducted using a cultivation intensity indicator and wind direction. We show that the grassland percentage and pollen concentrations, specified as annual pollen integral and pollen peak vary strongly between pollen stations. Correlation analyses indicated that the impact of the grassland on pollen concentration was greater within 10 km of the pollen traps. At greater distances, the correlation coefficient between the grassland percentage and pollen indicators steadily declined.
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17
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Data Mining Methods to Detect Airborne Pollen of Spring Flowering Arboreal Taxa. FORESTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/f12121801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Variations in the airborne pollen load are among the current and expected impacts on plant pollination driven by climate change. Due to the potential risk for pollen-allergy sufferers, this study aimed to analyze the trends of the three most abundant spring-tree pollen types, Pinus, Platanus and Quercus, and to evaluate the possible influence of meteorological conditions. An aerobiological study was performed during the 1993–2020 period in the Ourense city (NW Spain) by means of a Hirst-type volumetric sampler. Meteorological data were obtained from the ‘Ourense’ meteorological station of METEOGALICIA. We found statistically significant trends for the Total Pollen in all cases. The positive slope values indicated an increase in pollen grains over the pollen season along the studied years, ranging from an increase of 107 to 442 pollen grains. The resulting C5.0 Decision Trees and Rule-Based Models coincided with the Spearman’s correlations since both statistical analyses showed a strong and positive influence of temperature and sunlight on pollen release and dispersal, as well as a negative influence of rainfall due to washout processes. Specifically, we found that slight rainfall and moderate temperatures promote the presence of Pinus pollen in the atmosphere and a marked effect of the daily thermal amplitude on the presence of high Platanus pollen levels. The percentage of successful predictions of the C5.0 models ranged between 62.23–74.28%. The analysis of long-term datasets of pollen and meteorological information provides valuable models that can be used as an indicator of potential allergy risk in the short term by feeding the obtained models with weather prognostics.
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18
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Grinn-Gofroń A, Bogawski P, Bosiacka B, Nowosad J, Camacho I, Sadyś M, Skjøth CA, Pashley CH, Rodinkova V, Çeter T, Traidl-Hoffmann C, Damialis A. Abundance of Ganoderma sp. in Europe and SW Asia: modelling the pathogen infection levels in local trees using the proxy of airborne fungal spore concentrations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 793:148509. [PMID: 34175598 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ganoderma comprises a common bracket fungal genus that causes basal stem rot in deciduous and coniferous trees and palms, thus having a large economic impact on forestry production. We estimated pathogen abundance using long-term, daily spore concentration data collected in five biogeographic regions in Europe and SW Asia. We hypothesized that pathogen abundance in the air depends on the density of potential hosts (trees) in the surrounding area, and that its spores originate locally. We tested this hypothesis by (1) calculating tree cover density, (2) assessing the impact of local meteorological variables on spore concentration, (3) computing back trajectories, (4) developing random forest models predicting daily spore concentration. The area covered by trees was calculated based on Tree Density Datasets within a 30 km radius from sampling sites. Variations in daily and seasonal spore concentrations were cross-examined between sites using a selection of statistical tools including HYSPLIT and random forest models. Our results showed that spore concentrations were higher in Northern and Central Europe than in South Europe and SW Asia. High and unusually high spore concentrations (> 90th and > 98th percentile, respectively) were partially associated with long distance transported spores: at least 33% of Ganoderma spores recorded in Madeira during days with high concentrations originated from the Iberian Peninsula located >900 km away. Random forest models developed on local meteorological data performed better in sites where the contribution of long distance transported spores was lower. We found that high concentrations were recorded in sites with low host density (Leicester, Worcester), and low concentrations in Kastamonu with high host density. This suggests that south European and SW Asian forests may be less severely affected by Ganoderma. This study highlights the effectiveness of monitoring airborne Ganoderma spore concentrations as a tool for assessing local Ganoderma pathogen infection levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paweł Bogawski
- Department of Systematic and Environmental Botany, Laboratory of Biological Spatial Information, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Beata Bosiacka
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, 70-383 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Jakub Nowosad
- Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Adam Mickiewicz University, 10 Krygowskiego Street, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
| | - Irene Camacho
- Madeira University, Faculty of Life Sciences, Campus Universitário da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
| | - Magdalena Sadyś
- Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Headquarters, Performance & Information, Hindlip Park, Worcester WR3 8SP, United Kingdom; University of Worcester, School of Science and the Environment, Henwick Grove, Worcester WR2 6AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Carsten Ambelas Skjøth
- University of Worcester, School of Science and the Environment, Henwick Grove, Worcester WR2 6AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine Helen Pashley
- Institute for Lung Health, Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Talip Çeter
- Kastamonu University, Arts and Sciences Faculty, Department of Biology, 37100 Kuzeykent, Kastamonu, Turkey
| | - Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany; Institute of Environmental Medicine, Helmholtz Center Munich - Research Center for Environmental Health, Augbsurg, Germany
| | - Athanasios Damialis
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany; Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
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19
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Picornell A, Oteros J, Ruiz-Mata R, Recio M, Trigo MM, Martínez-Bracero M, Lara B, Serrano-García A, Galán C, García-Mozo H, Alcázar P, Pérez-Badia R, Cabezudo B, Romero-Morte J, Rojo J. Methods for interpolating missing data in aerobiological databases. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 200:111391. [PMID: 34058184 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Missing data is a common problem in scientific research. The availability of extensive environmental time series is usually laborious and difficult, and sometimes unexpected failures are not detected until samples are processed. Consequently, environmental databases frequently have some gaps with missing data in it. Applying an interpolation method before starting the data analysis can be a good solution in order to complete this missing information. Nevertheless, there are several different approaches whose accuracy should be considered and compared. In this study, data from 6 aerobiological sampling stations were used as an example of environmental data series to assess the accuracy of different interpolation methods. For that, observed daily pollen/spore concentration data series were randomly removed, interpolated by using different methods and then, compared with the observed data to measure the errors produced. Different periods, gap sizes, interpolation methods and bioaerosols were considered in order to check their influence in the interpolation accuracy. The moving mean interpolation method obtained the highest success rate as average. By using this method, a success rate of the 70% was obtained when the risk classes used in the alert systems of the pollen information platforms were taken into account. In general, errors were mostly greater when there were high oscillations in the concentrations of biotic particles during consecutive days. That is the reason why the pre-peak and peak periods showed the highest interpolation errors. The errors were also higher when gaps longer than 5 days were considered. So, for completing long periods of missing data, it would be advisable to test other methodological approaches. A new Variation Index based on the behaviour of the pollen/spore season (measurement of the variability of the concentrations every 2 consecutive days) was elaborated, which allows to estimate the potential error before the interpolation is applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Picornell
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain.
| | - J Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - R Ruiz-Mata
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - M Recio
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - M M Trigo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - M Martínez-Bracero
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain; School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - B Lara
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - A Serrano-García
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - C Galán
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - H García-Mozo
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - P Alcázar
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - R Pérez-Badia
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - B Cabezudo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - J Romero-Morte
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - J Rojo
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain; Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
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Rojo J, Moreno JM, Romero-Morte J, Lara B, Elvira-Rendueles B, Negral L, Fernández-González F, Moreno-Grau S, Pérez-Badia R. Causes of increased pollen exposure during Saharan-Sahel dust intrusions. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 284:117441. [PMID: 34062432 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Airborne particulate matter such as mineral dust comes mainly from natural sources, and the African regions of Sahara and Sahel originate large amounts of the aerosols dispersed worldwide. There is little knowledge about the influence of dust episodes on airborne pollen concentrations, and although the centre and southeast of the Iberian Peninsula are frequently affected by dust intrusions, until now, no specific works have analysed the effect of these episodes on airborne pollen concentrations in these areas. The aims of this study were to analyse the simultaneous occurrence of airborne pollen peaks and Saharan-Sahel dust intrusions in the central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula, and to study the weather conditions - air mass pathways and conditions of air temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure - that influence the airborne pollen concentrations during dust episodes. The results showed that the rise in airborne pollen concentrations during dust episodes is apparent in inland Iberian areas, although not in coastal areas in the southeast where pollen concentrations are even observed to decrease, coinciding with prevailing easterly winds from the sea. Total pollen concentrations and specific pollen types such as Olea, Poaceae and Quercus showed an increase in the central Iberian Peninsula during dust episodes when two meteorological phenomena concur: 1) prevailing winds from extensive areas of major wind-pollinated pollen sources over a medium or short distance (mainly from western and southwestern areas); and 2) optimal meteorological conditions that favour pollen release and dispersal into the atmosphere (mainly high temperatures and subsequently low humidity in central areas). Both conditions often occur during the Saharan-Sahel dust intrusions in the centre. Maximum pollen peaks are therefore most likely to occur during dust episodes in the central Iberian Peninsula, thus dramatically increasing the risk of outbreaks of pollinosis and other respiratory diseases in the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Rojo
- University of Castilla-La Mancha. Institute of Environmental Sciences, Toledo, Spain; Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Complutense University. Madrid, Spain.
| | - José María Moreno
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Spain
| | - Jorge Romero-Morte
- University of Castilla-La Mancha. Institute of Environmental Sciences, Toledo, Spain
| | - Beatriz Lara
- University of Castilla-La Mancha. Institute of Environmental Sciences, Toledo, Spain
| | - Belén Elvira-Rendueles
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Spain
| | - Luis Negral
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Spain
| | | | - Stella Moreno-Grau
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Spain
| | - Rosa Pérez-Badia
- University of Castilla-La Mancha. Institute of Environmental Sciences, Toledo, Spain
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21
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Glick S, Gehrig R, Eeftens M. Multi-decade changes in pollen season onset, duration, and intensity: A concern for public health? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 781:146382. [PMID: 33812098 PMCID: PMC8182784 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Longitudinal shifts in pollen onset, duration, and intensity are public health concerns for the growing number of individuals with pollen sensitization. National analyses of long-term pollen changes are influenced by how a plant's main pollen season (MPS) is defined. Prior Swiss studies have inconsistently applied MPS definitions, leading to heterogeneous conclusions regarding the magnitude, directionality, and significance of multi-decade pollen trends. We examined national pollen data in Switzerland between 1990 and 2020, applying six MPS definitions (2 percentage-based and 4 threshold-based) to twelve relevant allergenic plants. We analyzed changes in pollen season using both linear regression and locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS). For 4 of the 12 plant species, there is unanimity between definitions regarding earlier onset of pollen season (p < 0.05), with magnitude of 31-year change dependent on specific MPS definition (hazel: 9-18 days; oak: 5-13 days; grasses: 8-25 days; and nettle/hemp: 6-25 days). There is also consensus (p < 0.05) for modified MPS duration among hazel (21-104% longer), nettle/hemp (8-52% longer), and ash (18-38% shorter). Between-definition agreement is highest for MPS intensity analysis, with consensus for significant increases in seasonal pollen quantity (p < 0.05) among hazel, birch, oak, beech, and nettle/hemp. The largest relative intensification is noted for hazel (110-146%) and beech (162-237%). LOESS analysis indicates that these multi-decade pollen changes are typically nonlinear. The robustness of MPS definitions is highly dependent on annual pollen accumulation, with definition choice particularly influential for long-term analysis of low-pollen plants such as ragweed. We identify systematic differences between MPS definitions and suggest future aerobiologic studies apply multiple definitions to minimize bias. In summary, national pollen onset, duration, and intensity have shifted for some plants in Switzerland, with MPS definition choice affecting magnitude and significance of these variations. Future public health research can determine whether these temporal and quantitative pollen changes correlate with longitudinal differences in population pollen sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Glick
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Regula Gehrig
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Switzerland
| | - Marloes Eeftens
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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Gehrig R, Clot B. 50 Years of Pollen Monitoring in Basel (Switzerland) Demonstrate the Influence of Climate Change on Airborne Pollen. FRONTIERS IN ALLERGY 2021; 2:677159. [PMID: 35387022 PMCID: PMC8974697 DOI: 10.3389/falgy.2021.677159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change and human impact on vegetation modify the timing and the intensity of the pollen season. The 50 years of pollen monitoring in Basel, Switzerland provide a unique opportunity to study long-term changes in pollen data. Since 1969, pollen monitoring has been carried out in Basel with a Hirst-type pollen trap. Pollen season parameters for start dates, end dates and duration were calculated with different pollen season definitions, which are commonly used in aerobiology. Intensity was analyzed by the annual pollen integral (APIn), peak value and the number of days above specific thresholds. Linear trends were calculated with the non-parametric Mann Kendall method with a Theil-Sen linear trend slope. During the last 50 years, linear increase of the monthly mean temperatures in Basel was 0.95–1.95°C in the 3 winter months, 2–3.7°C in spring months and 2.75–3.85°C in summer months. Due to this temperature increase, the start dates of the pollen season for most of the spring pollen species have advanced, from 7 days for Poaceae to 29 days for Taxus/Cupressaceae. End dates of the pollen season depend on the chosen pollen season definition. Negative trends predominate, i.e., the pollen season mostly ends earlier. Trends in the length of the pollen season depend even more on the season definitions and results are contradictory and often not significant. The intensity of the pollen season of almost all tree pollen taxa increased significantly, while the Poaceae pollen season did not change and the pollen season of herbs decreased, except for Urticaceae pollen. Climate change has a particular impact on the pollen season, but the definitions used for the pollen season parameters are crucial for the calculation of the trends. The most stable results were achieved with threshold definitions that indicate regular occurrence above certain concentrations. Percentage definitions are not recommended for trend studies when the annual pollen integral changed significantly.
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23
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Menzel A, Ghasemifard H, Yuan Y, Estrella N. A First Pre-season Pollen Transport Climatology to Bavaria, Germany. FRONTIERS IN ALLERGY 2021; 2:627863. [PMID: 35386987 PMCID: PMC8974717 DOI: 10.3389/falgy.2021.627863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate impacts on the pollen season are well-described however less is known on how frequently atmospheric transport influences the start of the pollen season. Based on long-term phenological flowering and airborne pollen data (1987–2017) for six stations and seven taxa across Bavaria, Germany, we studied changes in the pollen season, compared pollen and flowering season start dates to determine pollen sources, and analyzed the likelihood of pollen transport by HYSPLIT back trajectories. Species advanced their pollen season more in early spring (e.g., Corylus and Alnus by up to 2 days yr−1) than in mid spring (Betula, Fraxinus, Pinus); Poaceae and Artemisia exhibited mixed trends in summer. Annual pollen sums mainly increased for Corylus and decreased for Poaceae and Artemisia. Start of pollen season trends largely deviated from flowering trends, especially for Corylus and Alnus. Transport phenomena, which rely on comparisons between flowering and pollen dates, were determined for 2005–2015 at three stations. Pre-season pollen was a common phenomenon: airborne pollen was predominantly observed earlier than flowering (median 17 days) and in general, in 63% of the cases (except for Artemisia and Poaceae, and the alpine location) the pollen sources were non-local (transported). In 54% (35%) of these cases, back trajectories confirmed (partly confirmed) the pre-season transport, only in 11% of the cases transport modeling failed to explain the records. Even within the main pollen season, 70% of pollen season start dates were linked to transport. At the alpine station, non-local pollen sources (both from outside Bavaria as well as Bavarian lowlands) predominated, in only 13% of these cases transport could not be confirmed by back trajectories. This prominent role of pollen transport has important implications for the length, the timing, and the severity of the allergenic pollen season, indicating only a weak dependency on flowering of local pollen sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Menzel
- Department of Life Science Systems, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Garching, Germany
| | - Homa Ghasemifard
- Department of Life Science Systems, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany
| | - Ye Yuan
- Department of Life Science Systems, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany
- *Correspondence: Ye Yuan
| | - Nicole Estrella
- Department of Life Science Systems, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany
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24
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Bergmann K, Buters J, Karatzas K, Tasioulis T, Werchan B, Werchan M, Pfaar O. The development of birch pollen seasons over 30 years in Munich, Germany-An EAACI Task Force report. Allergy 2020; 75:3024-3026. [PMID: 32575167 DOI: 10.1111/all.14470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeroen Buters
- ZAUM‐Center of Allergy & Environment Technical University Munich Munich Germany
| | - Kostas Karatzas
- Environmental Informatics Research Group Department of Mechanical Engineering Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece
| | - Thomas Tasioulis
- Environmental Informatics Research Group Department of Mechanical Engineering Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece
| | | | | | - Oliver Pfaar
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Section of Rhinology and Allergy University Hospital Marburg Philipps‐Universität Marburg Marburg Germany
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25
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Picornell A, Recio M, Ruiz-Mata R, García-Sánchez J, Cabezudo B, Trigo MDM. Medium- and long-range transport events of Alnus pollen in western Mediterranean. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2020; 64:1637-1647. [PMID: 32507988 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-020-01944-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Alnus pollen has been frequently detected in the atmosphere of different airborne sampling sites of Southern Spain. However, Alnus sp. populations are very scarce and fragmented in the area, being restricted to a few river valleys in the southwest, and other further away regions of the Iberian Peninsula. This leads to think that the airborne pollen detected could be mainly the result of a medium- or long-distant transport. So, the aim of this study was to characterize the annual patterns of airborne Alnus pollen detected at three different locations of Malaga province, as well as to determine its possible origin, the pollen dispersion potential of these Alnus isolated populations, and their possible reproductive connectivity. Pollen sampling was conducted by means of three Hirst-type volumetric pollen traps. Samples were mounted and counted following the recommendations of the Spanish Aerobiology Network and the European Aeroallergen Society. The possible pollen sources were detected by means of a combination of meteorological information and backward air trajectories analysis. A high inter-annual variability in the annual pollen integrals was found in all the stations, favouring certain meteorological conditions a long-range transport and, therefore, causing the high concentrations detected in some specific days. Alnus pollen seems to have a heterogeneous origin with prevalence of the long-distant transport, which would suggest a possible reproductive connection among distant populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Picornell
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain.
| | - Marta Recio
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - Rocío Ruiz-Mata
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - Jose García-Sánchez
- Central Services of Support to Investigation (SCAI), University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - Baltasar Cabezudo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - María Del Mar Trigo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
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Fernández-Rodríguez S, Maya-Manzano JM, Colín AM, Pecero-Casimiro R, Buters J, Oteros J. Understanding hourly patterns of Olea pollen concentrations as tool for the environmental impact assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 736:139363. [PMID: 32485367 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Bioinformatics clustering application for mining of a large set of olive pollen aerobiological data to describe the daily distribution of Olea pollen concentration. The study was performed with hourly pollen concentrations measured during 8 years (2011-2018) in Extremadura (Spain). Olea pollen season by quartiles of the pollen integral in preseason (Q1: 0%-25%), in-season (Q2 and Q3: 25%-75%) and postseason (Q4: 75%-100%). Days with pollen concentrations above 100 grains/m3 were clustered according to the daily distribution of the concentrations. The factors affecting the prevalence of the different clusters were analyzed: distance to olive groves and the moment during the pollen season and the meteorology. During the season, the highest hourly concentrations during the day where between 12:00 and 14:00, while during the preseason the highest hourly concentrations were detected in the afternoon and evening hours. In the postseason the pollen concentrations were more homogeneously distributed during 9-16 h. The representation shows a well-defined hourly pattern during the season, but a more heterogeneous distribution during the preseason and postseason. The cluster dendrogram shows that all the days could be clustered in 6 groups: most of the clusters shows the daily peaks between 11:00 and 15:00 with a smooth curve (Cluster 1 and 3) or with a strong peak (2 and 5). Days included in cluster 9 shows an earlier peak in the morning (before 9:00). On the other hand, cluster 6 shows a peak in the afternoon, after 15:00. Hourly concentrations show a sharper pattern during the season, with the peak during the hours close to the emission. Out of the season, when pollen is expected to come from farther distances, the hourly peak is located later from the emission time of the trees. Significant factors for predicting the hourly pattern were wind speed and direction and the distance to the olive groves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Fernández-Rodríguez
- Department of Construction, School of Technology, University of Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad s/n, Cáceres, Spain.
| | - José María Maya-Manzano
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Alejandro Monroy Colín
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Extremadura, Faculty of Science, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06071 Badajoz, Spain
| | - Raúl Pecero-Casimiro
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Extremadura, Faculty of Science, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06071 Badajoz, Spain
| | - Jeroen Buters
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - José Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, University of Córdoba, Spain
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27
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Estimation of Chilling and Heat Accumulation Periods Based on the Timing of Olive Pollination. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11080835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Research Highlights: This paper compares the thermal requirements in three different olive-growing areas in the Mediterranean region (Toledo, central Spain; Lecce, southeastern Italy; Chaal, central Tunisia). A statistical method using a partial least square regression for daily temperatures has been applied to study the chilling and heat requirements over a continuous period. Background and Objectives: The olive is one of the main causes of pollen allergy for the population of Mediterranean cities. The physiological processes of the reproductive cycle that governs pollen emission are associated with temperature, and thermal requirements strongly regulate the different phases of the plant’s life cycle. However, the point when several specific processes occur—Such as the phases within the dormancy period—Is unclear, and the transition between endodormancy and ecodormancy is not easily distinguishable from an empirical point of view. This work focuses on defining the thermal accumulation periods related to the temperature balance needed to meet the chilling and heat requirements for the metabolic activation and budbreak in olive trees. Results and Conclusions: Thermal accumulation patterns in olive trees are strongly associated with the bioclimatic conditions of olive-growing areas, and the olive flowering start dates showed significant differences between the three studied stations. Our results show that the chilling requirements were fulfilled between late autumn and early winter, although the chilling accumulation period was more evident in the coldest and most continental bioclimatic areas (central Spain). The heat accumulation period (forcing period) was clearly defined and showed a close relationship with the timing of olive flowering. Heat requirements were therefore used to generate accurate forecasting models to predict the beginning of the olive bloom and subsequent olive pollen emission. A forecasting model considering both the chilling and heat requirements was generated in Toledo, where the estimated days displayed an error of 2.0 ± 1.8 days from the observed dates. For Lecce, the error was 2.7 ± 2.5 days and for Chaal, 4.2 ± 2.4 days.
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28
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Impact of Plane Tree Abundance on Temporal and Spatial Variations in Pollen Concentration. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11080817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Many ornamental species growing in cities have considerable allergenic potential and pose a risk to allergy sufferers. Such species include members of the genus Platanus, or London plane tree, which is increasingly prevalent in a number of southern European cities. Analysis of airborne pollen concentrations enables biological air quality to be assessed, and also provides information on the local distribution of vegetation. The aim of this study was to analyze trends in annual Platanus pollen concentrations in central Spain and to determine the extent to which they are linked to the presence of this species in urban green spaces. The results point to a correlation between the growing number of plane trees and an increase both in the annual pollen index and in the number of days on which allergy sufferers are at risk. Analysis suggests that variations in the diversity and abundance of allergenic ornamental species in urban green spaces may account for the trends observed in the dynamics and behavior of airborne pollen from these species. The results obtained in studies of this kind should be reflected in urban green-space management plans, in order to decrease the allergenic load and thus both reduce exposure to allergenic pollen and improve air quality in these spaces.
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29
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Hoffmann TM, Acar Şahin A, Aggelidis X, Arasi S, Barbalace A, Bourgoin A, Bregu B, Brighetti MA, Caeiro E, Caglayan Sozmen S, Caminiti L, Charpin D, Couto M, Delgado L, Di Rienzo Businco A, Dimier C, Dimou MV, Fonseca JA, Goksel O, Guvensen A, Hernandez D, Jang DT, Kalpaklioglu F, Lame B, Llusar R, Makris MP, Mazon A, Mesonjesi E, Nieto A, Öztürk A, Pahus L, Pajno GB, Panasiti I, Panetta V, Papadopoulos NG, Pellegrini E, Pelosi S, Pereira AM, Pereira M, Pinar M, Pfaar O, Potapova E, Priftanji A, Psarros F, Sackesen C, Sfika I, Suarez J, Thibaudon M, Travaglini A, Tripodi S, Verdier V, Villella V, Xepapadaki P, Yazici D, Matricardi PM, Dramburg S. "Whole" vs. "fragmented" approach to EAACI pollen season definitions: A multicenter study in six Southern European cities. Allergy 2020; 75:1659-1671. [PMID: 31833579 DOI: 10.1111/all.14153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The adequate definition of pollen seasons is essential to facilitate a correct diagnosis, treatment choice, and outcome assessment in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. A position paper by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) proposed season definitions for Northern and Middle Europe. OBJECTIVE To test the pollen season definitions proposed by EAACI in six Mediterranean cities for seven pollen taxa. METHODS As part of the @IT.2020 multi-center study, pollen counts for Poaceae, Oleaceae, Fagales, Cupressaceae, Urticaceae (Parietaria spp.), and Compositae (Ambrosia spp., Artemisia spp.) were collected from January 1 to December 31, 2018. Based on these data, pollen seasons were identified according to EAACI criteria. A unified monitoring period for patients in AIT trials was created and assessed for feasibility. RESULTS The analysis revealed a great heterogeneity between the different locations in terms of pattern and length of the examined pollen seasons. Further, we found a fragmentation of pollen seasons in several segments (max. 8) separated by periods of low pollen counts (intercurrent periods). Potential monitoring periods included often many recording days with low pollen exposure (max. 341 days). CONCLUSION The Mediterranean climate leads to challenging pollen exposure times. Monitoring periods for AIT trials based on existing definitions may include many intermittent days with low pollen concentrations. Therefore, it is necessary to find an adapted pollen season definition as individual solution for each pollen and geographical area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Maria Hoffmann
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Aydan Acar Şahin
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ankara University Ankara Turkey
| | - Xenophon Aggelidis
- Allergy Unit 2 Department of Dermatology and Venereology National and Kapodistrian University of Athens University Hospital "Attikon" Athens Greece
| | - Stefania Arasi
- Pediatric Allergology Unit Department of Pediatric Medicine Bambino Gesù Children´s research Hospital (IRCCS) Rome Italy
| | - Andrea Barbalace
- Department of Pediatrics‐ Allergy Unit University of Messina Messina Italy
| | - Anne Bourgoin
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | - Blerina Bregu
- Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology UHC Mother Teresa Medical University Tirana Tirana Albania
| | | | - Elsa Caeiro
- MED ‐ Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development Institute for Advanced Studies and Research University of Évora Évora Portugal
- Portuguese Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology Lisbon Portugal
| | - Sule Caglayan Sozmen
- Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Okan University Faculty of Medicine Istanbul Turkey
| | - Lucia Caminiti
- Department of Pediatrics‐ Allergy Unit University of Messina Messina Italy
| | - Denis Charpin
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | - Mariana Couto
- Immunoallergology José de Mello Saúde Porto Portugal
| | - Luís Delgado
- Basic and Clinical Immunology Unit Department of Pathology Faculty of Medicine University of Porto Porto Portugal
- CINTESIS Center for Health Technology and Services Research Bologna Portugal
- Allergy Unit Instituto & Hospital CUF Porto Porto Portugal
| | | | - Claire Dimier
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | - Maria V. Dimou
- Allergy Department 2nd Pediatric Clinic Athens General Children's Hospital "P&A Kyriakou" University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - João A. Fonseca
- CINTESIS Center for Health Technology and Services Research Bologna Portugal
- Allergy Unit Instituto & Hospital CUF Porto Porto Portugal
- MEDCIDS‐Department of Community Medicine, Information, and Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Ozlem Goksel
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine Division of Immunology, Allergy and Asthma Faculty of Medicine Ege University Izmir Turkey
| | - Aykut Guvensen
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ege University Izmir Turkey
| | - Dolores Hernandez
- Service of Allergy Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Dah Tay Jang
- Pediatric Allergy and Pneumology Unit Children's Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Fusun Kalpaklioglu
- Department of Chest Diseases Division of Immunology and Allergic Diseases Kırıkkale University School of Medicine Kırıkkale Turkey
| | - Blerta Lame
- Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology UHC Mother Teresa Medical University Tirana Tirana Albania
| | - Ruth Llusar
- Pediatric Allergy and Pneumology Unit Children's Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Michael P. Makris
- Allergy Unit 2 Department of Dermatology and Venereology National and Kapodistrian University of Athens University Hospital "Attikon" Athens Greece
| | - Angel Mazon
- Pediatric Allergy and Pneumology Unit Children's Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Eris Mesonjesi
- Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology UHC Mother Teresa Medical University Tirana Tirana Albania
| | - Antonio Nieto
- Pediatric Allergy and Pneumology Unit Children's Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Ayse Öztürk
- Department of Allergy and Immunology Koç University Hospital Istanbul Turkey
| | - Laurie Pahus
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | | | - Ilenia Panasiti
- Department of Pediatrics‐ Allergy Unit University of Messina Messina Italy
| | - Valentina Panetta
- Biostatistics L'altrastatistica srl Consultancy & Training Rome Italy
- Division of Infection Immunity& Respiratory Medicine Royal Manchester Children's Hospital University of Manchester Manchester UK
| | - Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos
- MEDCIDS‐Department of Community Medicine, Information, and Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine University of Porto Porto Portugal
- Biostatistics L'altrastatistica srl Consultancy & Training Rome Italy
- Division of Infection Immunity& Respiratory Medicine Royal Manchester Children's Hospital University of Manchester Manchester UK
| | - Elisabetta Pellegrini
- Department of Reggio Calabria ARPACal‐ Regional Agency for Environmental Protection Messina Italy
| | | | - Ana Margarida Pereira
- CINTESIS Center for Health Technology and Services Research Bologna Portugal
- Allergy Unit Instituto & Hospital CUF Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Mariana Pereira
- CINTESIS Center for Health Technology and Services Research Bologna Portugal
- Allergy Unit Instituto & Hospital CUF Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Munevver Pinar
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ankara University Ankara Turkey
| | - Oliver Pfaar
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Section of Rhinology and Allergy University Hospital Marburg Phillipps‐Universität Marburg Germany
| | - Ekaterina Potapova
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Alfred Priftanji
- Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology UHC Mother Teresa Medical University Tirana Tirana Albania
| | - Fotis Psarros
- Allergy Department Athens Naval Hospital Athens Greece
| | - Cansin Sackesen
- Division of Pediatric Allergy Koç University School of Medicine Istanbul Turkey
| | - Ifigenia Sfika
- Pediatric Allergy Unit Sandro Pertini Hospital Rome Italy
| | - Javier Suarez
- Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems Area of Botany University of Oviedo Oviedo Spain
| | | | - Alessandro Travaglini
- Department of Biology Tor Vergata University Rome Italy
- Italian Aerobiology Monitoring Network ‐ Italian Aerobiology Association Bologna Italy
| | - Salvatore Tripodi
- Pediatric Allergy Unit Sandro Pertini Hospital Rome Italy
- Allergology Service Policlinico Casilino Rome Italy
| | - Valentine Verdier
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | | | - Paraskevi Xepapadaki
- Allergy Department 2nd Pediatric Clinic National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Duygu Yazici
- Cellular and Molecular Medicine KUTTAM Graduate School of Health Sciences Koç University Istanbul Turkey
| | - Paolo M. Matricardi
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Stephanie Dramburg
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
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Land-Use and Height of Pollen Sampling Affect Pollen Exposure in Munich, Germany. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11020145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Airborne pollen concentrations vary depending on the location of the pollen trap with respect to the pollen sources. Two Hirst-type pollen traps were analyzed within the city of Munich (Germany): one trap was located 2 m above ground level (AGL) and the other one at rooftop (35 m AGL), 4.2 km apart. In general, 1.4 ± 0.5 times higher pollen amounts were measured by the trap located at ground level, but this effect was less than expected considering the height difference between the traps. Pollen from woody trees such as Alnus, Betula, Corylus, Fraxinus, Picea, Pinus and Quercus showed a good agreement between the traps in terms of timing and intensity. Similar amounts of pollen were recorded in the two traps when pollen sources were more abundant outside of the city. In contrast, pollen concentrations from Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Carpinus and Tilia were influenced by nearby pollen sources. The representativeness of both traps for herbaceous pollen depended on the dispersal capacity of the pollen grains, and in the case of Poaceae pollen, nearby pollen sources may influence the pollen content in the air. The timing of the pollen season was similar for both sites; however, the season for some pollen types ended later at ground level probably due to resuspension processes that would favor recirculation of pollen closer to ground level. We believe measurements from the higher station provides a picture of background pollen levels representative of a large area, to which local sources add additional and more variable pollen amounts.
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31
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Bogawski P, Borycka K, Grewling Ł, Kasprzyk I. Detecting distant sources of airborne pollen for Poland: Integrating back-trajectory and dispersion modelling with a satellite-based phenology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 689:109-125. [PMID: 31271980 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Airborne pollen might be transported over thousands of kilometres, which has important ecological, evolutionary and clinical consequences. The long-distance transport (LDT) of birch (Betula sp.) pollen has been described in detail for northern Europe. However, a comprehensive analysis of this transport from other European regions is lacking. This study focused on the post-seasonal LDT of birch pollen to Poland (central Europe), with special attention paid to determining potential source areas of pollen and describing the causal mechanism favouring LDT episodes. Pollen monitoring (1997-2016) was conducted in Poznań and Rzeszów (500 km away from each other) using volumetric traps. The LDT episodes were characterized by analysing the (1) bi-hourly backward air mass trajectories using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model (HYSPLIT); (2) sea level pressure (SLP) and 500 hPa geopotential height (z500) anomalies; and (3) patterns of the Enhanced Vegetation Index to determine the birch flowering time along the moving air mass trajectories. The potential locations of birch populations within broadleaved forests were estimated with GLOBCOVER data. Finally, the movement of pollen emitted from potential source areas was simulated using the HYSPLIT dispersion model. LDT episodes were mainly recorded in the first fortnight of May. The main source areas of pollen to Poland were western Russia, Belarus and to a lesser extent the eastern Baltic republics and the Scandinavian Peninsula. In most cases, a high-pressure centre located over Scandinavia and an elevated z500 over Germany-Denmark-Sweden favoured pollen transport. On average, the post-seasonal LDT episodes of birch pollen to Poland occur almost every year (Poznań) or every second year (Rzeszów). The episodes are highly variable in time; thus, the pollen concentration may unexpectedly cause allergy symptoms in sensitized patients. In some cases, these episodes may be extremely severe, thereby prolonging and strengthening the exposure to birch pollen allergens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Bogawski
- Laboratory of Biological Spatial Information, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Borycka
- Department of Environmental Monitoring, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Łukasz Grewling
- Laboratory of Aeropalynology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Idalia Kasprzyk
- Department of Environmental Monitoring, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
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32
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Oteros J, Sofiev M, Smith M, Clot B, Damialis A, Prank M, Werchan M, Wachter R, Weber A, Kutzora S, Heinze S, Herr CEW, Menzel A, Bergmann KC, Traidl-Hoffmann C, Schmidt-Weber CB, Buters JTM. Building an automatic pollen monitoring network (ePIN): Selection of optimal sites by clustering pollen stations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 688:1263-1274. [PMID: 31726556 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Airborne pollen is a recognized biological indicator and its monitoring has multiple uses such as providing a tool for allergy diagnosis and prevention. There is a knowledge gap related to the distribution of pollen traps needed to achieve representative biomonitoring in a region. The aim of this manuscript is to suggest a method for setting up a pollen network (monitoring method, monitoring conditions, number and location of samplers etc.). As a case study, we describe the distribution of pollen across Bavaria and the design of the Bavarian pollen monitoring network (ePIN), the first operational automatic pollen network worldwide. We established and ran a dense pollen monitoring network of 27 manual Hirst-type pollen traps across Bavaria, Germany, during 2015. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the data was then performed to select the locations for the sites of the final pollen monitoring network. According to our method, Bavaria can be clustered into three large pollen regions with eight zones. Within each zone, pollen diversity and distribution among different locations does not vary significantly. Based on the pollen zones, we opted to place one automatic monitoring station per zone resulting in the ePIN network, serving 13 million inhabitants. The described method defines stations representative for a homogeneous aeropalynologically region, which reduces redundancy within the network and subsequent costs (in the study case from 27 to 8 locations). Following this method, resources in pollen monitoring networks can be optimized and allergic citizens can then be informed in a timely and effective way, even in larger geographical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Oteros
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technische Universität München/Helmholtz Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Mikhail Sofiev
- Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matt Smith
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, UK
| | - Bernard Clot
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Payerne, Switzerland
| | - Athanasios Damialis
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, UNIKA-T, Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Zentrum M., Augsburg, Germany
| | - Marje Prank
- Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthias Werchan
- Foundation German Pollen Information Service (PID), Berlin, Germany
| | - Reinhard Wachter
- Foundation German Pollen Information Service (PID), Berlin, Germany
| | - Alisa Weber
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit (LGL), Munich, Germany
| | - Susanne Kutzora
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit (LGL), Munich, Germany
| | - Stefanie Heinze
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit (LGL), Munich, Germany
| | - Caroline E W Herr
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit (LGL), Munich, Germany
| | - Annette Menzel
- Technische Universität München, Ecoclimatology, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Freising, Germany; Technische Universität München, Institute for Advanced Study, Garching, Germany
| | | | - Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, UNIKA-T, Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Zentrum M., Augsburg, Germany; Christine Kühne Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK Care), Davos, Switzerland
| | - Carsten B Schmidt-Weber
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technische Universität München/Helmholtz Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Jeroen T M Buters
- Center of Allergy & Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technische Universität München/Helmholtz Center, Munich, Germany.
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