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First aerobiological study in Mediterranean part of Croatia (Dalmatia): pollen spectrum and seasonal dynamics in the air of Split

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate aerobiological dynamics of pollen in the Mediterranean part of Croatia in the air of the city of Split. Pollen monitoring during the period from 2005 to 2013 was performed using a Hirst volumetric trap. Among the identified pollen of 50 taxa, 21 were allergenic. The average annual pollen index was 33,513. Three pollination seasons were established: early winter season dominated by tree pollen, spring–summer season dominated by herbaceous plants and summer–autumn season with lower amounts of Parietaria and Cupressaceae pollen. According to the abundance, the main taxa were: Cupressaceae, Parietaria/Urtica, Pinus, Quercus, Olea, Carpinus/Ostrya, Poaceae, Platanus and Ambrosia. The annual pollen index together with the daily maximum concentrations showed an upward trend for selected taxa during the study period. The highest monthly pollen index and the highest biodiversity were recorded in April and the lowest during the late autumn and winter months. The pollen calendar created for the city of Split confirmed Mediterranean features of the pollen spectrum. The longest pollen seasons were recorded for Cupressaceae, Parietaria/Urtica and Poaceae pollen types. The correlations between pollen concentrations and meteorological parameters were analyzed. The correlations between pollen concentrations and temperature were positive, while the humidity and the precipitation mostly showed negative influence.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service for providing us meteorological data and the anonymous reviewers whose comments improved the final version of the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Public Health Institute of Split and Dalmatia County, Vukovarska 46, 21000, Split, Croatia

    Tatjana Puljak & Mirna Mamić

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Marulicev trg 9a, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Božena Mitić & Dario Hruševar

  3. Andrija Stampar, Teaching Institute of Public Health, Mirogojska 16, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Ivana Hrga

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  1. Tatjana Puljak
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Correspondence to Mirna Mamić.

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Puljak, T., Mamić, M., Mitić, B. et al. First aerobiological study in Mediterranean part of Croatia (Dalmatia): pollen spectrum and seasonal dynamics in the air of Split. Aerobiologia 32, 709–723 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-016-9444-4

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