<i>INTEREST OF LOCAL AEROBIOLOGICAL STUDIES. ORIGINALITIES OF THE AIRBORNE POLLEN SPECTRUM OF MURCIA</i>

Abstract

Particular climates and the occurrence of endemic flowering plant species potentially leads to particular aerobiological situations through out the world. Most of these circumstances are presumably unknown. After a 6-year study carried out in Murcia (SE España), 89 pollen types have been identified, from which 28 reach atmospheric concentrations high enough to be considered potentially allergenic. While many of the pollen types show distribution patterns and concentrations similar to those reported for other Spanish and European localities, a number of particularities were detected in the «aerobiological behaviour» of diverse airborne pollen types. Some of them exhibit notable differences such as particularly long pollination periods (Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Parietaria, Poaceae, Phoenix, Cupressus and Artemisia), or occurrence out beyond the expected periods (Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Poaceae, Corylus, Casuarina, Plantago and Artemisia). Rare taxa (Thymelaeaceae, Brassicaceae y Caryophyllaceae) and others absent from nearby localities (Lygeum, Robinia and Zygophyllum) were also recorded. The most outstanding feature is the winter presence of Artemisia pollen grains. In Murcia atmosphere, 12 pollen types which incidence on pollinic diseases is absolutely unknown can be found, while 9 taxa could be systematically ignored in the tests despite their well-known allergenicity. All those circumstances emphasize the interest of local and regional aerobiological studies, in preventing pollinosis in mediterranean areas.