Airborne Pollen Grains Of Afyon, Turkey

The airborne pollen grains of Afyon have been studied for a two-year period (1999-2000) with a Durham sampler. A total of 14 367 pollen grains belonging to 40 taxa have been identified and recorded with some unidentified ones. Of them, 6 732 were identified in 1999 and 7 635 in 2000. Of the total pollen grains, 69.67% were arboreal, 26.64% non-arboreal and 3.68 % unidentified. The majority of the investigated pollen grains were from Pinus, Gramineae, Cupressaceae, Platanus, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Quercus, Ailanthus, Moraceae, Juglans, Salix, Cedrus and Rosaceae. The highest level of pollen grains was in May.     

Airborne Pollen Grains of Afyon,Turkey

The airborne pollen grains of Afyon have been studied for a two-year period(1999-2000)with a Durham sampler,A total of 14367 pollen grains belonging to 40 taxa have been identified and recorded with some unidentified ones.Of them,6732 were identified in 1999 and 7635 in 2000.Of the total pollen grains,69.67% were arboreal,26.64% on-arboreal and 3.68% unidentified.The majority of the investigated pollen grains were from Pinus,Granineae,Cupressaceae,Platamus,Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae,Quercus,Ailanthus,Moraceae,Juglans,Salix,Cedrus and Rosaceae.The highest level of pollen grains was in May.     

Airborne Pollen Grains of Burdur, Turkey

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Airborne Pollen Grains in Zonguldak，Turkey，2001-2002

The variation in airborne pollen concentration of the Zonguldak region．Turkey was studied for two consecutive years 2001-2002 using a Durham sampler．During this period．a total of 61 304 pollen grains belonging to 43 taxa were recorded．Of these 43 taxa．26 belonged to arboreal and 17 to nonarboreal plants．The main pollen types were Pinaceae,Populus,Carpinus,Betula,Corylus,Fagus orientalis,Castanea sativa,AInus glutinosa,Quercus,Cupressaceae,Chenopodiaceae and Gramineae．representing 96．7％of the pollen spectrum．Pollen concentration reached the highest level in March．     

Airborne pollen in Kiev (Ukraine): Gravimetric sampling

This article presents the results of aeropalynological observations in Kiev, carried out with a gravimetric method, during January–October, 1994. The six most abundant pollen types were: Betulaceae (21%), Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae (10%), Ambrosia (10%), Artemisia (9%) Pinaceae (8%) and Poaceae (6%). Seasonal fluctuations of the atmospheric presence of tree/shurb and herb/grass pollen during the period March–September, 1993 and 1994, are also shown.     

A one-year aeropalynological study at Ankara, Turkey

Atmospheric pollen was collected with a Burkard sporetrap in Ankara, Turkey from January 1993 to January1994. The sum of the annual totals of the dailyconcentration of pollen, belonging to 44 taxa, was57,735. A relatively high pollen concentration wasrecorded in June which could be caused by higher windspeed and lower rainfall. Pinaceae,Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Gramineae, Platanus, Populus,Moraceae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Acer, Quercus,Betula, Salix, Rumex and Plantago are found tobe the dominant pollen types in the atmosphere inAnkara.     

Airborne pollen sampling in Toledo, Central Spain

Toledo is one of the main tourist spots of Spain, attracting around two million visitors per year. Its geographical situation in the vast and scarcely monitored Region of Castilla La Mancha and the high number of tourists (especially in the spring) has resulted in the Spanish Aerobiology Network (REA) making this city a major study objective. Air monitoring studies carried out using REA sampling procedures commenced in October 2002. Thirty-two pollen types were identified during the sampling period (October 2002 to October 2004). The annual Pollen Index (PI) was 44124 for the agricultural year October 2002–October 2003, and 29666 in the same period of 2003–2004. The most abundant taxa were, in decreasing order of dominance: Cupressaceae, Quercus, Poaceae, Populus, Olea, Urticaceae, Platanus, Pinus and Ulmus. Other, less well-represented pollen taxa included Salix, Alnus, Fraxinus and Tamarix, which were characteristic of riverside areas, and Morus, Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae. The presence of Castanea pollen grains originating from chestnut crops far away from the city was clearly an example of long-distance transport. The highest concentrations of airborne pollen were detected from March to May and also in January, due to the flowering of Cupressaceae species. In general, there was a correlation between pollen and meteorological parameters: a positive correlation with temperature and a negative correlation with rainfall and humidity during the pre-peak period. A negative correlation between temperature and some tree pollen taxa was detected in the principal pollen period correlation analysis due to their long pollination periods.     

Comparison of airborne pollen grains in Huddinge and Stockholm,Sweden

Summary Airborne pollen studies were carried out, by means of Burkard volumetric spore traps, at two different sites (the city of Stockholm and the suburb Huddinge) 15 km apart in the Stockholm region. Within the city of Stockholm the study was carried out in 1973–89 while in Huddinge the investigation period was 1977–82. In all the years under investigation the total pollen catch and the number of pollen types were higher in Stockholm than in Huddinge. The reason for this is not explained by the composition of the local vegetation surrounding the traps. It is concluded that parameters such as qualitative changes in the daily catches and occurrence during the main pollen season are more important than the absolute daily figures. The cyclic trends in the local annual sums over a long period of years do not show any periodicity that is altogether regular and reliable.     

Seasonal airborne pollen pattern in Mar del Plata City, Argentina

Continuous aerobiological survey of the atmosphere of Mar del Plata was carried out from December 1991 to November 1993 with a Burkard volumetric spore trap. Daily slides were prepared and studied every 2 h with standard techniques. Weekly records were kept for 27 relevant pollen types selected either by their prevalence or relative high atmospheric concentration. Quantitative multivariate analysis enabled to distinguish three major pollen seasons, related to atmospheric dominance either arboreal pollen (AP) or non-arboreal pollen (NAP). June to October is the richest period in number of pollen types, mainly dominated by AP; while from November to May, there is an overwhelming dominance of NAP types, represented by grass, herb and weed pollen. The study and prediction of this phenomenon is of great interest not only from the ecosystem point of view, but in relation to human disease as well.     

Seed hairs of poplar trees as natural airborne pollen trap for allergenic pollen grains

The present article deals with the efficacy of seed hairs of poplar trees (Populus spp.) as a potent natural airborne pollen trap. Different species of Populus are commonly found planted along the streets in the cities of North China. The seed hairs and pericarp of poplar trees were collected from the trees and on the ground in Beijing Botanical Garden of Chinese Academy of Sciences and around Miyun Reservoir during May 2005 for pollen analysis. Different pollen spectra are recorded from different samples and are characterised by dominant occurrence of pollen grains of arboreal and anemophilous plants. In addition, pollen grains of non‐arboreal plants including grasses are also found trapped. Among the 46 trapped pollen grains, 26 are known to be allergenic. This study suggests that poplar seed hairs possibly make people feel uncomfortable due to the presence of allergenic pollen trapped in the hairs.     

Comparative aerobiology,allergenicity and biochemistry of three palm pollen grains in Calcutta,India

A Burkard volumetric trap was used at Salt Lake City, Calcutta, to record the occurrence and frequency of three common palm pollen, namely,Areca catechu, Borassus flabellifer andPhoenix sylvestris for two consecutive years (July 1988–June 1990). The meteorological factors responsible for the frequency of relevant airborne pollen grains were analysed. The allergenic potential of these pollen types was investigated by skin-prick tests on adult respiratory allergic patients. These were also chemically analysed in terms of total carbohydrate, lipid and soluble protein. Total soluble protein of the above types was used in 11% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to study the range of molecular components.     

Developmental stages of the pollen wall and tapetum in some Crocus species

The developmental stages of the pollen wall and tapetum, together with exine morphology were studied in a number of Crocus species, by light and scanning electron microscopy. Gametogenesis was characterized by: 1) development of a thick intine, 2) single mitosis, and 3) terminal amylolysis. The tapetum was of the secretory type. In C. cartwrightianus cv. albus, abnormal sporogenesis and gametogenesis produced vacuolate pollen grains with a reduced-or no intine layer, and rich with starch granules; the tapetum was either of the parietal-or amoeboid type. The exine was echinate and the pollen grains had different types of aperture: furrows, colpi or pores. The ornamentation varied from microreticulate to irregularly perforate. The exine framework was overlaid by a pellicle resistant to chloroform-carbon disulphide, on which a layer of pollenkitt was deposited. The results are discussed from both cytological and evolutionary viewpoints.     

The use of sieving during standard pollen pre-treatment of samples of fossil deposits to enhance the concentration of large pollen grains

Small pollen grains and fine particles of the organic matrix in samples of a coarse detritus mud and a blanket peal deposit were removed by sieving through 30μ polyester mesh after digestion with KOH and acetolysis during standard pollen pre-treatment. The technique enhanced the number of large pollen grains m the sample. There was also an increase in the range of taxa which produce huge grains. The method provided a means of estimating the ratio of any scarce large pollen grain to the total grain sum in samples prepared by standard methods of pre-treatment.     

Airborne pollen calendar of the central region of Bursa (Turkey)

This report describes qualitatively and quantitatively the level of pollen in the atmosphere in the central region of Bursa. Turkey. In 1991, the season of maximum pollen concentration was from April to June, with a prevalence of arboreal pollen during the initial months, and of pollen from herbaceous plants in the latter months. During the year of research, 24 taxa of arboreal and 12 taxa of herbaceous pollen grains were collected and identified. In the region investigatedPinus, Cupressaceae/Taxaceae,Abies nordmanniana, Platanus orientalis, Olea europaea, Gramineae, Urticaceae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae,Artemisia and Compositae were responsible for the greatest amounts of pollen. Some important allergenic pollens such asOlea europaea, Gramineae and Urticaceae were also found in high concentration. In this study, a pollen calendar for the region is presented.     

Airborne pollen concentration in the region of Braga, Portugal, and its relationship with meteorological parameters

The variation in airborne pollen concentrationof the Braga region (Portugal) was studied inspringtime, during the flowering of Vitisvinifera. The data set was obtained for twoconsecutive years (1999 and 2000), using aCour-type sampler.During this period, thirty-six taxa wereobserved in a total of 3,200 pollengrains m^-3 of air (CPA). The main pollentypes observed were Olea, Poaceaea,nd Castanea, representing 74% of thepollen spectrum.The airborne pollen concentration (CPA) wassignificantly correlated with certainmeteorological parameters. Pollen concentrationwas positively correlated with temperature andwind direction (East and Northeast) andnegatively correlated with rainfall and numberof rainy days.     

Seasonal variation of collected pollen loads of honeybees (Apis mellifera L. anatoliaca)

Pollen collected by honeybees foraging in the region of Bursa, Turkey was analysed for a whole year. Pollen loads were collected from the hives of Apis mellifera anatoliaca once a week and were classified by colour. Forty‐one taxa were identified from the pollen analyses of the loads and 14 of these had percentages higher than 1%. Only 2.05% of the total pollen could not have been identified. Dominant taxa include; Brassicaceae (11.19%), Helianthus annuus L. (10.84%), Cichorioideae (8.93%) Salix spp. (7.99%), Rosaceae (7.37%), Centaurea spp. (7.56%), Papaver spp. (7.41%), Knautia spp. (6.99%), Fabaceae (6.01%), Asteraceae (5.73%), Xanthium spp. (2.65%), Chrozophora spp. (2.45%), Plantago spp. (1.56%) and Acer spp. (1.54%) representing 88.23% of the total. Distinct variations in plant usage are seen through the year with initial use of Rosaceae, Salix, and to a lesser extent Brassicaeae. As these groups finish flowering the bees move onto Helianthus annuus, Centaurea through the summer followed by Asteraceae in the late summer and Fabaceae in the autumn. There is a strong reliance on crop species for pollen forage but a number of indigenous species are also seen within the samples. The most productive period for collecting various pollen types, and the ideal period to determine pollen preferences of honey bees was June‐August.     

Airborne pollen sampling in a wildlife reserve in the south of Buenos Aires province,Argentina

The objective of this project was to study the pollen spectrum of the Marahué Wildlife Reserve (Central Argentina), the quantity and quality of airborne pollen grains, and to evaluate the contribution of outside sources, to protect a natural habitat with xerophytic shrub vegetation (“monte”) (the term “monte” is used for the dominant xerophytic shrub vegetation in the “partido” of Villarino) approximately 90 km south of Bahía Blanca. Sampling was performed weekly throughout a whole calendar year (January–December, 2003) using a volumetric impact sampler. Observations of flowering in the field were performed at the same time as the aerial sampling. Herbarium specimens were collected to make pollen collections of the species found in the study area, for reference purposes. The most abundant pollen types were Poaceae (31.3% total annual pollen), Amaranthus/Chenopodiaceae (25.3%), Eucalyptus (5%), Brassicaceae (3.9%), and Plantago (3.9%). This study showed the dispersion dynamics of pollen grains from characteristic species of the “partido” (the province of Buenos Aires is divided into partidos which are roughly equivalent to counties) of Villarino, the exotic flora of the surrounding area, and the pollen types from outside the region.

Inhibition of the activity of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in pollen grains of maize

Extracts from pollen grains of maize ( Zea mays L.) show a low activity of aminoacyltRNA synthetases (EC 6. 1. 1). They also contain a specific factor inhibiting the activity of these enzymes. The molecular mass of this factor, which may be a short peptide, is about 3000 Da as determined by column chromatography on Sephadex G-25 Fine. The Michaelis constant (K_m), determined for the amino acid in the presence of this factor, suggests its allosteric influence on the affinity of the enzyme. Short-term incubation of the factor with pronase R resulted in conversion of the inhibiting action into a stimulating one. Kinetics of aminoacylation reactions confirm inhibitory and stimulative influences of the effector on the enzyme activity. High performance liquid chromatography shows that inhibition of the activity of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases is affected by a group of compounds of similar molecular masses.