Abstract
Aerobiological data have especially demonstrated that there is correlation between climate warming and the pollination season of plants. This paper focuses on airborne pollen monitoring of Betulaceae and Poaceae, two of the main plant groups with anemophilous pollen and allergenic proprieties in Northern Italy. The aim is to investigate plant responses to temperature variations by considering long-term pollen series. The 15-year aerobiological analysis is reported from the monitoring station of Vignola (located near Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region) that had operated in the years 1990–2004 with a Hirst spore trap. The Yearly Pollen Index calculated for these two botanical families has shown contrasting trends in pollen production and release. These trends were well identifiable but fairly variable, depending on both meteorological variables and anthropogenic causes. Based on recent reference literature, we considered that some oscillations in pollen concentration could have been a main effect of temperature variability reflecting global warming. The duration of pollen seasons of Betulaceae and Poaceae, depending on the different species included in each family, has not unequivocally been determined. Phenological responses were particularly evident in Alnus and especially in Corylus as a general moving up of the end of pollination. The study shows that these trees can be affected by global warming more than other, more tolerant, plants. The research can be a contribution to the understanding of phenological plant responses to climate change and suggests that alder and hazelnut trees have to be taken into high consideration as sensible markers of plant responses to climate change.
Highlights
Plants adopt many strategies to face climate changes
We report on the trend of airborne pollen data from two of the most important botanical families at mid latitudes, Betulaceae and Poaceae
Temperatures higher than normal are able to improve pollen quantity and diffusion, frequently resulting in longer seasons of pollination in many plant species ([16,17,18,19]; see [20] for grasses). We focus on this aspect and observe the trend of a long series of airborne pollen monitoring by considering the possible correspondence between pollen concentrations and variation of temperatures
Summary
There are strategies including shifting of vegetation at association scale, or strategies raising the rate of physiological processes such as photosynthesis at the community and individual scales. In fragmented landscapes such as urban habitats, current rapid climate change has the potential to overcome the capacity for adaptation in plant species, altering genetic composition and biodiversity [1]. Pollen development and fertilization may be the most sensitive reproductive stage to temperature increase and, the current global warming is recognized as having clear effects on pollen production and fertility
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