Abstract
Pollen and nectar produced by flowers of species from the genus <em>Salix</em> are an important source of food for various insect groups in early spring. Most willows are entomophilous species; however, substantial amounts of airborne <em>Salix</em> pollen can be noted. The aim of the study was to evaluate the content of pollen of this taxon in the air of Lublin (central-east Poland) in 2001–2016 and to identify the period of its greatest availability to insects. In 2015, we compared the course of the <em>Salix</em> pollen season in Lublin (51°14'37" N; 22°32'25" E) and in the Roztoczański National Park (50°34'57" N; 23°04'24" E), Poland. We found that the date of the pollen season onset fluctuated greatly between March 16 and April 17. The greatest availability of <em>Salix</em> pollen to insects was noted from the end of the first 10-day-period of April to the first 10-day-period of May. The mean annual sum of airborne <em>Salix</em> pollen grains was 833. In Lublin, <em>Salix</em> pollen accounted for ca. 1.25% of the total airborne pollen content of different plant taxa. The investigations have demonstrated a 2-year cycle of <em>Salix</em> pollen abundance. The comparison of the pollen seasons in Lublin and in the Roztoczański National Park indicates that considerably greater amounts of pollen occur in the urban area than in the air of the Roztoczański National Park.
Highlights
The genus Salix (Salicaceae) comprises over 400 species [1]
Material and methods In Lublin, the flora of parks and squares located along the Bystrzyca River, and the flora of fragmented forests on the outskirts of the city provide habitats for the following Salix species: S. fragilis L. (Fig. 1a,b) (April–May), S. alba L. (April–May), S. alba ssp. vitellina (L.) Arcang. (April–May), S. aurita L. (March–May), S. caprea L. (Fig. 1c,d) (March–April), S. triandra L. (April–May), and S. viminalis L. (March–April) [21,22]
The beginning of flowering of the Salix species and the onset of the Salix pollen season in Lublin were noted between March 6 and April 17 during the 16-year study period
Summary
The genus Salix (Salicaceae) comprises over 400 species [1]. Heliophilous, pioneer plants, which rapidly colonize new habitats. They usually grow in river valleys and wetlands, creating riparian forests. Some of them grow on stony substrates in the mountains at an altitude over 2500 m [6,7]. In Poland, willows grow in forests, along riverbanks, and in wet meadows across the country. They are used in landscape plantings, in parks, and along roads and streets. Shrubs, and dwarf shrublets growing in the mountains or in the far north [1,8]. In Poland, S. cinerea, S. fragilis, S. purpurea, and S. viminalis are the Published by Polish Botanical Society
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