Seasonal pollen distribution in the atmosphere of Hobart, Tasmania: preliminary observations and congruence with flowering phenology
D. Y. P. Tng A C , F. Hopf B , S. G. Haberle B and D. M. J. S. Bowman AA School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
B Archaeology and Natural History, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: syptng@utas.edu.au
Australian Journal of Botany 58(6) 440-452 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT10095
Submitted: 21 April 2010 Accepted: 12 July 2010 Published: 8 September 2010
Abstract
The atmospheric pollen loads of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, were monitored between September 2007 and July 2009. To examine the match of the airborne pollen composition with the flowering duration of their contributing plants, the phenology of native and non-native plants in various habitats near the pollen-trapping site was undertaken between August 2008 and July 2009. The pollen load was found to have a strong seasonal component associated with the start of spring in September. This is incongruent with the peak flowering season of the total taxa in October. In most taxa, atmospheric pollen signatures appeared before flowering was observed in the field. The presence of most pollen types in the atmosphere also exceeded the observed flowering duration of potential pollen-source taxa. Reasons for this may be related to the sampling effort of phenological monitoring, pollen blown in from earlier flowering populations outside of the sampling area, the ability of pollen to be reworked, and the large pollen production of some wind-pollinated taxa. In 2007–2008, 15 pollen types dominated the atmosphere, accounting for 90% of the airborne pollen load. The top six pollen types belonged to Betula, Cupressaceae, Myrtaceae, Salix, Poaceae and Ulmus. Comparatively, the annual pollen load of Hobart is lower than in most other Australian cities; however, the pollen signal of Betula is inordinately high. Native plants play a minor role as pollen contributors, despite the proximity of native habitats to the pollen-sampling location. The implications of the aerobiological observations are discussed in relation to public health.
Acknowledgements
We thank Lim Chee Liew and Scott Nichols for maintaining the monitors and preparing the collection strips, and Greg Jordan for helpful discussions. Ben Keaney and Mike MacPhail of ANU assisted in pollen identification. We also thank Silver Huang and two anonymous reviewers who made useful comments on the manuscript. The project was supported by ARC LEIF No. LEO882682 to Simon Haberle of ANU and David Bowman of UTas.
Armstrong JA
(1979) Biotic pollination mechanisms in the Australian flora – a review. New Zealand Journal of Botany 17, 467–508.
[verified 15 January 2010].
Bass D, Morgan G
(1997) A three year (1993–1995) calendar of pollen and Alternaria mould in the atmosphere of south western Sydney. Grana 36, 293–300.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[verified August 2009].
Can IH,
Islam A,
Karasoy DS, Samin EE
(2010) Does regional pollen load affect the prevalence of clinical allergy to those pollen groups? Journal of Laryngology and Otology 124, 297–301.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Clarke PS, Mason PE
(1964) Allergenic mould spores in Tasmania. Medical Journal of Australia 1, 192–194.
Cleland EE,
Chuine I,
Menzel A,
Mooney HA, Schwartz MD
(2007) Shifting plant phenology in response to global change. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 22, 357–365.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Derrick E
(1966) Airborne pollen and spores in Melbourne. Australian Journal of Botany 14, 49–66.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Emberlin J
(1994) The effects of patterns in climate and pollen abundance on allergy. Allergy 49, 15–20.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Estrella N,
Menzel A, Krämer U
(2006) Integration of flowering dates in phenology and pollen counts in aerobiology: analysis of their spatial and temporal coherence in Germany (1992–1999). International Journal of Biometeorology 51, 49–59.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Green BJ,
Dettmann ME,
Rutherford S, Simpson R
(2002) Airborne pollen of Brisbane, Australia: a five-year record, 1994–1999. Grana 41, 242–250.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hill DJ,
Smart IJ, Knox RB
(1979) Childhood asthma and grass pollen aerobiology in Melbourne. Medical Journal of Australia 1, 426–429.
Hingston AB, McQuillan PB
(2000) Are pollination syndromes useful predictors of floral visitors in Tasmania. Austral Ecology 25, 600–609.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hirst JM
(1952) An automatic volumetric spore trap. Annals of Applied Biology 39, 257–265.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Johnston FH,
Hanigan IC, Bowman DMJS
(2009) Pollen loads and allergenic rhinitis in Darwin, Australia: a potential health outcome of the grass-fire cycle. EcoHealth 6, 99–108.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Katelaris CH,
Carozzi FM,
Burke TV, Byth K
(2000) A springtime Olympics demands special consideration for allergic athletes. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 106, 260–266.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ladd PG
(2006) Is there wind pollination in the southern heaths (Styphelioideae, Ericaceae)? Botanische Jahrbücher 127, 57–67.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Matthews JM
(1965) Diurnal variation in the release of pollen by Plantago lanceolata. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 90, 231–237.
Mercer FV
(1939) Atmospheric pollen in the city of Adelaide and environs. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 63, 373–383.
Mercer FV
(1941) Atmospheric pollen in the city of Adelaide and its environs. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 65, 11–13.
Morton CR
(1946) The botany of Toowonmba and its environs and its relation to clinical allergy of the upper respiratory tract. Medical Journal of Australia 1, 585–589.
Moss JE
(1965) Airborne pollens in Brisbane. Australian Journal of Botany 13, 23–37.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Moss JE
(1966) A further study of airborne pollens in Brisbane. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 79, 1–8.
Ong EK,
Singh MB, Knox RB
(1995a) Grass pollen in the atmosphere of Melbourne: seasonal distribution over nine years. Grana 34, 58–63.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ong EK,
Singh MB, Knox RB
(1995b) Seasonal distribution of pollen in the atmosphere of Melbourne: an airborne pollen calendar. Aerobiologia 11, 51–55.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Parmesan C, Yohe G
(2003) A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems. Nature 421, 37–42.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Phillips ME
(1941) Studies in atmospheric pollen. Medical Journal of Australia 2, 189–198.
Price D
(1963) Calendar of flowering times of some plants of the Sydney district possibly associated with pollinosis. Contributions from the New South Wales National Herbarium 3, 171–194.
Puc M, Puc MI
(2004) Allergenic airborne grass pollen in Szczecin, Poland. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine 11, 237–244.
Rapiejko P,
Stanlaewicz W,
Szczygielski K, Jurkiewicz D
(2007) Threshold pollen count necessary to evoke allergic symptoms. Otolaryngologia Polska 61, 591–594.
Rees RG
(1964) The air spora of Brisbane. Australian Journal of Botany 12, 185–204.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ribeiro H,
Oliveira M,
Ribeiro N,
Cruz A,
Ferreira A,
Machado H, Abreu I
(2009) Pollen allergenic potential nature of some tree species: a multidisciplinary approach using aerobiological, immunochemical and hospital admissions data. Environmental Research 109, 328–333.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Root TL,
Price JT,
Hall KR,
Schneider SH,
Rosenzweig C, Pounds JA
(2003) Fingerprints of global warming on wild animals and plants. Nature 421, 57–60.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rutherford S,
Owen JAK, Simpson S
(1997) Survey of airspora in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Grana 36, 114–121.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sands CC
(1967) A pollen survey in Canberra. Medical Journal of Australia 1, 208–210.
Schäppi GF,
Taylor PE,
Kenrick J,
Staff IA, Suphioglu G
(1998) Predicting the grass pollen count from meteorological data with regard to estimating the severity of hayfever symptoms in Melbourne (Australia). Aerobiologia 14, 29–37.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sharwood MM
(1935) Pollen content of Melbourne air during the hay fever season of August 1933 – March 1934. Medical Journal of Australia 1, 326–332.
Sharwood MM
(1937) Further studies on the pollen content of Melbourne air. Medical Journal of Australia 1, 117–121.
Singer BD,
Ziska LH,
Frenz DA,
Gebhard DE, Straka JG
(2005) Increasing Amb a 1 content in common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) pollen as a function of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. Functional Plant Biology 32, 667–670.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Smart IJ,
Tuddenham WG, Knox RB
(1979) Aerobiology of grass pollen in the city atmosphere of Melbourne: effects of weather parameters and pollen sources. Australian Journal of Botany 27, 333–342.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Speck NH
(1953) Atmospheric pollen in the city of Perth and environ. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 1, 119–127.
Spieksma FTM
(1990) Pollinosis in Europe: new observations and developments. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 64, 35–40.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Spieksma FTM,
Frenguelli G,
Nikkels AH,
Mincigrucci G,
Smithius LOMJ,
Bricchi E,
Dankaart W, Romano B
(1989) Comparative study of airborne pollen concentrations in central Italy and The Netherlands (1982–1985). Grana 28, 25–36.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Subiza J,
Feo Brito F,
Pola J,
Moral A, Fernández J
(1998) Pólenes alergénicos y polinosis en 12 ciudades españolas. Revista Española Alergología e Inmunología Clínica 13, 45–48.
Stennett PJ, Beggs PJ
(2004) Pollen in the atmosphere of Sydney, Australia, and relationships with meteorological parameters. Grana 43, 209–216.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stevenson J,
Haberle SG,
Johnston FH, Bowman DJMS
(2007) Seasonal distribution of pollen in the atmosphere of Darwin, tropical Australia: preliminary results. Grana 46, 34–42.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Viander M, Koivikko A
(1978) The seasonal symptoms of hyposensitised and untreated hayfever patients in relation to birch pollen counts: correlations with nasal sensitivity, prick tests and RAST. Clinical Allergy 8, 287–296.
Ziska LH, Caulfield FA
(2000) Rising CO2 and pollen production of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), a known allergy inducing species: implications for public health. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 27, 893–898.
|
