‘The Color of the Grave is Green’ – Moss and Juniper in Early Medieval Graves at Toppolanmäki, Finland

Two graves, initially discovered in the 1930s, were reopened and examined in 2017 and 2018 at the Early Medieval cemetery of Toppolanmäki, Finland. Soil samples taken from the graves were sampled for macrofossils, pollen and microfauna. Pollen and spore analysis provided possible evidence for the use of mosses and juniper branches in the graves. Also, moss-indicating microfauna (Euglypha spp.) was detected. At Toppolanmäki, mosses were used in both coffins and earth burials. The clubmoss found in the latter could even indicate the presence of a woven carpet or mattress in the grave pit. The use of juniper, on the other hand, could indicate ritual continuation from the Iron Age as it is a common find in older cemeteries. It is also possible that the early medieval environment around the site was characterised by dry meadows and juniper bushes at the time of the burial, and even that one of the burials took place in early summer. The study highlights the research potential of graves that have been excavated decades ago and presents a new biological indicator of the use of moss in burials: the testate amoeba Euglypha.</p

Lidar estimates of birch pollen number, mass and related CCN concentrations

Accurate representation of microphysical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles &ndash; such as number, mass and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration &ndash; is key to constraining climate forcing estimations and improving weather and air quality forecasts. Lidars capable of vertically resolving aerosol optical properties have been increasingly utilized to study aerosol-cloud interactions, allowing for estimations of cloud-relevant microphysical properties. Recently, lidars have been employed to identify and monitor pollen particles in the atmosphere, an understudied aerosol particle with health and possibly climate implications. Lidar remote sensing of pollen is an emerging research field, and in this study, we present for the first time retrievals of particle number, mass, CCN, giant CCN (GCCN) and ultra&ndash;giant CCN (UGCCN) concentration estimations of birch pollen derived from polarization lidar observations and specifically from a Vaisala CL61 ceilometer. A pivotal role in these estimations is played by the conversion factors necessary to convert the optical measurements into microphysical properties. This set of conversion parameters for birch pollen is derived from in situ observations of major birch pollen events in Vehmasm&auml;ki station in Eastern Finland in 2021. Then, the conversion factors are applied to ground-based lidar observations and compared against in situ measurements of aerosol and pollen particles. In turn, this demonstrates the potential of ground-based lidars such as a ceilometer network with polarization capacity to document large-scale birch pollen outbursts in detail and thus to provide valuable information for climate, cloud, and air quality modeling efforts, elucidating the role of pollen within the atmospheric system

Lidar depolarization ratio of atmospheric pollen at multiple wavelengths

Lidar observations during the pollen season 2019 at the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EAR-LINET) station in Kuopio, Finland, were analyzed in order to optically characterize atmospheric pollen. Pollen concentration and type information were obtained by a Hirst-type volumetric air sampler. Previous studies showed the detectability of non-spherical pollen using depolarization ratio measurements. We present lidar depolarization ratio measurements at three wavelengths of atmospheric pollen in ambient conditions. In addition to the depolarization ratio detected with the multiwavelength Raman polarization lidar Polly(XT) at 355 and 532 nm, depolarization measurements of a co-located Halo Doppler lidar at 1565 nm were utilized. During a 4 d period of high birch (Betula) and spruce (Picea abies) pollen concentrations, unusually high depolarization ratios were observed within the boundary layer. Detected layers were investigated regarding the share of spruce pollen to the total pollen number concentration. Daily mean linear particle depolarization ratios of the pollen layers on the day with the highest spruce pollen share are 0.10 +/- 0.02, 0.38 +/- 0.23 and 0.29 +/- 0.10 at 355, 532 and 1565 nm, respectively, whereas on days with lower spruce pollen share, depolarization ratios are lower with less wavelength dependence. This spectral dependence of the depolarization ratios could be indicative of big, non-spherical spruce pollen. The depolarization ratio of pollen particles was investigated by applying a newly developed method and assuming a backscatter-related Angstrom exponent of zero. Depolarization ratios of 0.44 and 0.16 at 532 and 355 nm for the birch and spruce pollen mixture were determined

Impact of rising CO2 and temperature on grass phenology, physiology, and pollen release patterns in northern latitudes

Climate change has complex effects on vegetation, including native grasses and those used as fodder plants. Like many other plant species, grasses respond to climate change by altering their phenology and physiological behavior, leading to changes e.g. in growth, reproduction and metabolic processes. Our study is the first to explore how Phleum pratense and Alopecurus pratensis respond to rising CO2 and temperatures projected for northern latitudes for two growing seasons. We investigated growth, phenology, pollen release, and physiological parameters in plants cultivated under these conditions, simulated within environmentally controlled chambers. Treatment with elevated temperature reduced the number of generative tillers and, consequently, decreased both the number of inflorescences and the season pollen integrals. Pollen release from P. pratense started up to 17 days earlier, and the daily peak concentration of released pollen was observed 1–2 h earlier in chambers with elevated temperatures when compared to the present climate conditions. Similar effects were noted in A. pratensis. Elevated CO2 (EC) increased net photosynthesis of P. pratense, but this effect was reduced under elevated temperature (ET), suggesting an antagonistic interaction. In A. pratensis, both elevated CO2 and temperature had an additive effect on increasing net photosynthesis, with the highest rate observed under the combined ETEC treatment. The elevated temperature or CO2 did not affect the plant biomass. Our findings propose that the rising temperatures in northern latitudes decrease the flowering of studied grasses and shift the seasonal and daily start of the pollen release. Changes in tiller proportions, reduced pollen integrals, and fewer inflorescences suggest that a warmer climate may negatively impact reproductive success, ecological fitness, and allergenic burden of these grasses

Airborne DNA reveals predictable spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi.

Fungi are among the most diverse and ecologically important kingdoms in life. However, the distributional ranges of fungi remain largely unknown as do the ecological mechanisms that shape their distributions1,2. To provide an integrated view of the spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi, we implemented a globally distributed standardized aerial sampling of fungal spores3. The vast majority of operational taxonomic units were detected within only one climatic zone, and the spatiotemporal patterns of species richness and community composition were mostly explained by annual mean air temperature. Tropical regions hosted the highest fungal diversity except for lichenized, ericoid mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi, which reached their peak diversity in temperate regions. The sensitivity in climatic responses was associated with phylogenetic relatedness, suggesting that large-scale distributions of some fungal groups are partially constrained by their ancestral niche. There was a strong phylogenetic signal in seasonal sensitivity, suggesting that some groups of fungi have retained their ancestral trait of sporulating for only a short period. Overall, our results show that the hyperdiverse kingdom of fungi follows globally highly predictable spatial and temporal dynamics, with seasonality in both species richness and community composition increasing with latitude. Our study reports patterns resembling those described for other major groups of organisms, thus making a major contribution to the long-standing debate on whether organisms with a microbial lifestyle follow the global biodiversity paradigms known for macroorganisms4,5

Ristiretkiajan haudan kasviaineisto siitepölyanalyysin valossa

Siitepölyhiukkasten ja itiökasvien itiöiden ulkoseinä muodostuu hyvin sekä kemiallista että mekaanista kulutusta kestävästä sporopolleniinista, jonka ansiosta ne säilyvät maaperässä suotuisissa olosuhteissa tuhansia vuosia. Eri taksonien siitepölyhiukkaset ja itiöt voidaan erottaa toisistaan niiden ulkonäössä olevien eroavaisuuksien perusteella. Siitepölyanalyysi on menetelmä, missä selvitetään eri maakerroksiin kerrostuneiden siitepölyjen ja itiökasvien itiöiden lajikoostumus. Tässä tutkielmassa tarkastellaan siitepölyanalyysin avulla Ravattulan Ristimäessä sijaitsevan 1100─1200-lukujen vaihteesta olevan ruumishaudan kasviaineistoa. Haudasta löytyneiden siitepölyjen ja itiökasvien itiöiden perusteella selvitetään mitä kasveja hautaan on laitettu ja pohditaan niiden käyttötarkoituksia. Lisäksi tutkielmassa tarkastellaan Ravattulan Ristimäen ympäristön myöhäisrautakautista kasvillisuutta haudan ulkopuolelta otetun vertailunäytteen avulla. Tutkittavasta haudasta otettiin laboratiivisen kaivamisen yhteydessä kymmenen maanäytettä eri puolilta hautaa siitepölyanalyysiä varten. Siitepölyt eristettiin maanäytteistä käsittelemällä niitä kemiallisesti siitepölyanalyysissä yleisesti käytetyn menetelmän mukaisesti KOH- ja HF-käsittelyillä. Safraiinilla värjätyt näytteet analysoitiin valomikroskooppia käyttäen. Mikroskopoinnissa saadut tulokset analysoitiin käyttäen Tilia-ohjelmaa. Ohjelmalla näytteille laskettiin niiden suhteelliset siitepölymäärät sekä siitepölykonsentraatiot. Näytteistä määritettiin myös niissä olevan orgaanisen aineksen osuus laskemalla näytteille hehkutushäviö polttomenetelmällä. Kaikkien näytteiden orgaanisen aineksen osuus oli pieni. Siitepölyanalyysillä saatujen tulosten perusteella arkkuun oli laitettu viljaa. Runsaimpana viljalajina haudasta löydettiin rukiin siitepölyä. Hautanäytteissä oli myös useita sellaisten lajien siitepölyjä ja itiöitä, joita tiedetään käytetyn haudoissa pehmusteena. Näiden lajien suhteelliset siitepöly- ja itiömäärät olivat kuitenkin hyvin pieniä tai niitä löytyi runsaasti myös haudan ulkopuolelta, joten saatujen tulosten perusteella ei voida sanoa varmuudella, onko niitä laitettu hautaan. Tutkitusta haudasta löytyi myös sellaisten kukkakasvien siitepölyä, joita on saatettu käyttää haudassa koristelutarkoituksessa. Vertailunäytteen perusteella Ravattulan Ristimäen alue on ollut rautakauden lopulla yhtenäisestä metsästä vapaa ihmisen muokkaama maatalous ympäristö

'The Color of the Grave is Green' : Moss and Juniper in Early Medieval Graves at Toppolanmäki, Finland

Two graves, initially discovered in the 1930s, were reopened and examined in 2017 and 2018 at the Early Medieval cemetery of Toppolanmaki, Finland. Soil samples taken from the graves were sampled for macrofossils, pollen and microfauna. Pollen and spore analysis provided possible evidence for the use of mosses and juniper branches in the graves. Also, moss-indicating microfauna (Euglypha spp.) was detected. At Toppolanmaki, mosses were used in both coffins and earth burials. The clubmoss found in the latter could even indicate the presence of a woven carpet or mattress in the grave pit. The use of juniper, on the other hand, could indicate ritual continuation from the Iron Age as it is a common find in older cemeteries. It is also possible that the early medieval environment around the site was characterised by dry meadows and juniper bushes at the time of the burial, and even that one of the burials took place in early summer. The study highlights the research potential of graves that have been excavated decades ago and presents a new biological indicator of the use of moss in burials: the testate amoeba Euglypha.Peer reviewe

Huokoisten puukuitu- ja kipsilevytuulensuojalevyjen homehtumisherkkyys

publishedVersio

The grass pollen season 2015: a proof of concept multi-approach study in three different European cities

Background Grasses release the most widespread aeroallergens with considerable sensitization rates, while different species produce several pollen concentration peaks throughout the season. This study analyzed the prevalence of grass species in three different European city areas and compared the flowering period of these species with daily pollen concentrations and the symptom loads of grass pollen allergy sufferers.Methods The most prevalent grass species in Vienna (Austria), Berlin (Germany) and Turku (Finland) were studied and examined by use of three different approaches: phenology, pollen monitoring and symptom load evaluation. A mobile pollen exposure chamber was employed to observe reaction patterns of grass pollen allergy sufferers to three common grass species evaluated in this study versus placebo.Results Common meadow grass (Poa pratensis) and the fescue grass species (Festuca spp.) are important contributors within the grass pollen season. The pollination period of orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) and false-oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius) indicated a greater importance in Berlin and Vienna, whereas a broader spectrum of grass species contributed in Turku to the main pollen season. The standardized provocation induced a nasal symptom load, reduction in nasal flow and increased secretion, in contrary to the placebo control group in grass pollen allergic subjects.Conclusion The phenological observations, pollen measurements and symptom data evaluation provided unique insights into the contribution of multiple grass species in different European regions. All investigated grass species in the provocation induced rhinitis symptoms of comparable significance, with some degree of variation in symptom patterns. Keywords: Grass pollen allergy, Symptom data, Phenology, Patient’s Hayfever Diary, Pollen exposure chambe