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Twenty years of aerobiological monitoring in Trentino (Italy): assessment and evaluation of airborne pollen variability

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Abstract

The aim of the study is to report a reliable airborne pollen spectrum composition and seasonal timings for the monitored area as a basis for allergy management and to ascertain possible modifications through the detection of trends during the 20-year time series (1989–2008). Pollen was collected at San Michele all’Adige (Trento, Italy) by means of a Hirst-type spore trap. Sampling and counting of airborne pollen grains were carried out according to a national standard. Pollen concentration data for the period were processed in order to characterize the main pollen seasons for a subset of taxa, selected on the basis of their allergenicity and local representativeness. Variations in the pollen data over the years surveyed were analyzed using non-parametric tests. The results showed the presence of 63 pollen taxa, 40 of which belonged to tree and shrub species and 23 to herbaceous species. The local pollen spectrum was characterized by the presence of highly allergenic taxa, such as Urticaceae, Graminaceae, Ostrya sp., and Cupressaceae, in terms of percentage contribution as well as mean daily pollen count or peak values over the years surveyed. A significant upward trend was observed for daily mean pollen amount, mainly due to pollen from woody species and probably ascribable to a temperature-driven increase in pollen production. Evaluation of the results presented will form the basis of further research focussed on the climate change-related causes of modifications to vegetational dynamics as well as on the phenology of flowering and on pollen production.

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Acknowledgments

The Aerobiological Monitoring Centre of San Michele all’Adige was partially supported by the Environmental Protection Agency of the Autonomous Province of Trento (APPA TN). The authors are grateful to Maria Cristina Viola, whose accurate work is invaluable for the collection of high-quality environmental data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Environment and Natural Resources Area, Via Edmund Mach 2, 38010, San Michele all’Adige (TN), Italy

    Antonella Cristofori, Fabiana Cristofolini & Elena Gottardini

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  1. Antonella Cristofori
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  2. Fabiana Cristofolini
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  3. Elena Gottardini
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Correspondence to Antonella Cristofori or Elena Gottardini.

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Cristofori, A., Cristofolini, F. & Gottardini, E. Twenty years of aerobiological monitoring in Trentino (Italy): assessment and evaluation of airborne pollen variability. Aerobiologia 26, 253–261 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-010-9161-3

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