Abstract
Pollen grains are known as important bio-allergens for sensitive individuals because of their presence in the air we breathe. Therefore, it is important to know the pollen load, major pollen types and sesonal variations of them for each populated region. The aim of this study was to determine the pollen types, densities and the pollen seasons of main pollen producers in Karacabey area. Pollen quantities and diversity studies were carried out by the gravimetric method in Karacabey (Bursa) atmosphere for two years, between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016. During sampling, the slides were changed weekly and examined by light microscopy. Annually 14226 pollen grains (15281 in 2015 and 13171 in 2016) belonging to 59 plant taxa (32 woody and 27 herbaceous taxa) were identified and pollen grains of woody taxa represented 72.63% (77.00% in 2015 and 68.27% in 2016) and herbaceous taxa represented 26.69% (22.30% in 2015 and 31.09% in 2016) of the annual pollen index (API) which was concordant and evaluated as a reflection of the dominant flora and maquis vegetation of the area. Types of pollen identified belonged to Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Pinus, Poaceae, Quercus, Platanus, Ambrosia, Olea, Plantago, Amaranthaceae, Salix, and Fraxinus which were classified as dominant pollen types for the region and the the total amount for them was 88.21% of the annual pollen index. In this regard, April-May and August-September can be thought of as a risky period for sensitive individuals living in or visiting the region. One of the most exciting findings of this study was the high dominance of highly allergenic Ambrosia pollen in the atmosphere.
Highlights
Pollen is known as a male gametophyte that plays an essential role in the pollination of flowering plants
Types of pollen identified belonged to Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Pinus, Poaceae, Quercus, Platanus, Ambrosia, Olea, Plantago, Amaranthaceae, Salix, and Fraxinus which were classified as dominant pollen types for the region and the the total amount for them was 88.21% of the annual pollen index
One of the most exciting findings of this study was the high dominance of highly allergenic Ambrosia pollen in the atmosphere
Summary
Pollen is known as a male gametophyte that plays an essential role in the pollination of flowering plants. The movement of pollens from one flower to the other can be in different ways. Wind and insects are the vectors with the highest share in pollination. Atmospheric pollens of wind-pollinated plants are very important in terms of human health. Pollen allergy is a common disorder and may result with diseases like allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma in susceptible individuals. Towards the end of the 20th century, in urbanized areas of developed countries, there had been an increase in the population of people who are hypersensitive to pollens. Pollen allergy is a global problem and is becoming more critical day by day with the increase of pollen sensitive individuals. Many studies on atmospheric pollen monitoring have been designed and many researchers have focused on regional modelling and allergen pollen estimates in various regions around the world [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13]
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