Palynological analysis of honeys from Palencia Province (Spain)

A pollen analysis of 49 honey samples from Palencia province has been carried out. According to the pollen spectra found, most of them are multifloral (27); 22 samples were monofloral. The monofloral honeys were Erica type followed by Centaurea, Reseda, Onobrychis, Rubus, Cytisus and Hederá. 126 different pollen types were recorded, belonging to 41 families. 53 of them reached percentages over 3% in some samples. The other 73 types did not reach percentages over 3% in any of the 49 samples. The families present in the highest number of samples were: Fabciceae, Asteraceae, Cistaceae and Rosaceae the families that had the highest percentages were: Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Ericaceae and Rosaceae. The pollen types that appeared in the most samples were: Papaver rhoeas (39 samples) and Rubus ulmifolius (38); the pollen types that reached the highest abundance percentages were: Erica arbórea, Onobiychis viciifolia and Reseda luteola. The pollen types of Ericaceae and Lavandula latifolia can be used as indicators in order to know the zone of origin zone of honeys produced in Palencia, and it allows us to detect any possible commercial frauds concerning the origin of honeys

Estudio palinológico de mieles españolas acogidas a marcas de calidad

Muchas de las propiedades bioactivas que presenta la miel han sido relacionadas con su origen botánico por lo que su conocimiento es muy importante. Aunque se están desarrollando métodos más sencillos y rápidos, el análisis palinológico continúa siendo esencial para determinar el origen floral de la miel lo que, por otro lado, permite atribuirle un mayor valor al producto.Se determinó el origen floral de seis tipos de miel acogidas a marcas de calidad y dos muestras de miel ecológica, durante dos cosechas consecutivas 2010 y 2011 analizando un total de 15 muestras. El método utilizado para la preparación de las muestras fue el recomendado por la Comisión Internacional de Botánica Apícola (ICBB) [1]. Se realizó un análisis cualitativo exami-nando cada una de las preparaciones al microscopio óptico a 400 y 1000 aumentos. Se identifica-ron por término medio 650 granos de polen en cada muestra de miel utilizando diversas claves y bibliografía [2,3] así como la palinoteca del Departamento de Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental de la Universidad de León.Se identificaron 92 tipos polínicos pertenecientes a 36 familias botánicas. En torno al 73% del polen identificado perteneció a plantas nectaríferas mientras que el 27% restante procedió de plantas poliníferas o productoras de polen y mielatos. En todas las muestras estudiadas se encontró el tipo polínico Cytisus scoparius. Otros tipos polínicos que se presentaron con fre-cuencia fueron Rubus ulmifolius (encontrado en el 93% de las muestras), Castanea sativa (87%), Echium vulgare y Crataegus monogyna (80%) y Prunus spinosa (73%). El número de tipos polínicos presentes en cada muestra varió entre 13 y 47, siendo esta variabilidad el resultado de la vege-tación existente en las diferentes zonas geográficas y de la preferencia de las abejas por algunas especies botánicas. Aunque todas las mieles fueron comercializadas como uniflorales, solo ocho de las quince muestras de miel estudiadas fueron catalogadas como tal, el resto no alcanzó los contenidos mínimos en polen como para ser incluidas dentro de este grupo y fueron clasificadas como mieles multiflorales. Actualmente solo las legislaciones específicas para marcas de calidad contemplan un apartado relativo a los contenidos mínimos en polen necesarios para conseguir la unifloralidad.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of prevailing winds and land use on Alternaria airborne spore load

[EN] Alternaria spores are a common component of the bioaerosol. Many Alternaria species are plant pathogens, and their conidia are catalogued as important aeroallergens. Several aerobiological studies showing a strong relationship between concentrations of airborne spore and meteorological parameters have consequently been developed. However, the Alternaria airborne load variation has not been thoroughly investigated because it is difficult to assess their sources, as they are a very common and widely established phytopathogen. The objective of this study is to estimate the impact of vegetation and land uses as potential sources on airborne spore load and to know their influence, particularly, in cases of long-medium distance transport. The daily airborne spore concentration was studied over a 5-year period in Le´on and Valladolid, two localities of Castilla y Le´on (Spain), with differences in their bioclimatic and land use aspects. Moreover, the land use analysis carried out within a 30 km radius of each monitoring station was combined with air mass data in order to search for potential emission sources. The results showed a great spatial variation between the two areas, which are relatively close to each other. The fact that the spore concentrations recorded in Valladolid were higher than those in Le´on was owing to prevailing winds originating from large areas covered by cereal crops, especially during the harvest period. However, the prevailing winds in Le´on came from areas dominated by forest and shrubland, which explains the low airborne spore load, since the main Alternaria sources were the grasslands located next to the trap. Furthermore, the risk days in this location presented an unusual wind direction. This study reveals the importance of land cover and wind speed and direction data for establishing potential airborne routes of spore transport in order to improve the Alternaria forecasting models. The importance of conducting Alternaria aerobiological studies at a local level is also highlighted.SIThe authors are grateful to the Castilla y Le´on Government’s Health Department for funding the RACYL. This study was partially supported by the AEROHEALTH project [Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Grant PID 2019-106164RB-I00, co-financed with European FEDER funds] and the Junta de Castilla y Le´on, co-financed with European FEDER funds [Grant LE025P20]. A. Rodríguez-Fern´andez acknowledges the Orden EDU/601/2020 grant from the Junta de Castilla y Le´on, co-financed with European FEDER fund

Mieles españolas con marca de calidad: un enfoque multivariado de parámetros fisicoquímicos, calidad microbiológica y origen floral

This study consisted of a palynological, microbiological, and physicochemical characterization of fifteen samples of Spanish honey sold under quality brands with different botanical and geographical origins from two consecutive harvest years (2010 and 2011). Eight of the fifteen honey samples were classified as monofloral honey from botanical origins Persea americana, Castanea sativa, Rosmarinus officinalis, Eucalyptus sp., and Thymus sp. With regard to microbiological analyses, mold, and yeast counting, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, sulfite-reducing clostridia, and Escherichia coli were not detected in any of the samples. Aerobic mesophilic microorganisms were detected only in some samples and the counts in these cases were low. Despite the great variability between samples, the results obtained in the physicochemical analysis were consistent with the limits set by the Council Directive 2001/100. Honey samples showed high variability between two consecutive harvests, since, even if they had similar geographical origins they showed different nectar floral origins. Mieles españolas con marca de calidad: un enfoque multivariado de parámetros fisicoquímicos, calidad microbiológica y origen floral Este estudio consistió en la caracterización botánica, microbiológica y fisicoquímica de quince muestras de miel españolas acogidas a marcas de calidad diferenciada de diferentes orígenes botánicos y geográficos y procedentes de dos cosechas consecutivas (años 2010 y 2011). Ocho de las quince muestras de miel estudiadas fueron clasificadas como mieles monoflorales de Persea americana, Castanea sativa, Rosmarinus officinalis, Eucalyptus sp. y Thymus sp. En relación a los análisis microbiológicos los recuentos de mohos y levaduras, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, clostridios sulfito reductores y Escherichia coli no fueron detectados en ninguna de las muestras. Se detectaron microorganismos aerobios mesófilos solo en algunas muestras y en este caso los recuentos fueron bajos. Aunque se detectaron coliformes, estos podrían estar asociados a un origen ambiental. A pesar de la gran variabilidad entre las muestras, los resultados obtenidos en el análisis fisicoquímico se encontraron dentro de los límites establecidos por la Directiva del Consejo 2001/100. Las muestras de miel mostraron una gran variabilidad entre cosechas porque aunque tuvieron un mismo origen geográfico, hubo diferencias en su origen floral.Este estudio consistió en la caracterización botánica, microbiológica y fisicoquímica de quince muestras de miel españolas acogidas a marcas de calidad diferenciada de diferentes orígenes botánicos y geográficos y procedentes de dos cosechas consecutivas (años 2010 y 2011). Ocho de las quince muestras de miel estudiadas fueron clasificadas como mieles monoflorales de Persea americana, Castanea sativa, Rosmarinus officinalis, Eucalyptus sp. y Thymus sp. En relación a los análisis microbiológicos los recuentos de mohos y levaduras, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, clostridios sulfito reductores y Escherichia coli no fueron detectados en ninguna de las muestras. Se detectaron microorganismos aerobios mesófilos solo en algunas muestras y en este caso los recuentos fueron bajos. Aunque se detectaron coliformes, estos podrían estar asociados a un origen ambiental. A pesar de la gran variabilidad entre las muestras, los resultados obtenidos en el análisis fisicoquímico se encontraron dentro de los l ımites establecidos por la Directiva del Consejo 2001/100. Las muestras de miel mostraron una gran variabilidad entre cosechas porque aunque tuvieron un mismo origen geográfico, hubo diferencias en su origen floral.This work was supported by the Consejería de Sanidad. Junta de Castilla y León [GRS 551/A/10]; Patricia Combarros- Fuertes PhD Research was funded by Consejería de Educación. Junta de Castilla y León and Fondo Social Europeo.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identifying key environmental factors to model Alt a 1 airborne allergen presence and variation

[EN] Fungal spores, commonly found in the atmosphere, can trigger important respiratory disorders. The glycoprotein Alt a 1 is the major allergen present in conidia of the genus Alternaria and has a high clinical relevance for people sensitized to fungi. Exposure to this allergen has been traditionally assessed by aerobiological spore counts, although this does not always offer an accurate estimate of airborne allergen load. This study aims to pinpoint the key factors that explain the presence and variation of Alt a 1 concentration in the atmosphere in order to establish exposure risk periods and improve forecasting models. Alternaria spores were sampled using a Hirst-type volumetric sampler over a five-year period. The allergenic fraction from the bioaerosol was collected using a low-volume cyclone sampler and Alt a 1 quantified by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay. A cluster analysis was executed in order to group days with similar environmental features and then analyze days with the presence of the allergen in each of them. Subsequently, a quadratic discriminant analysis was performed to evaluate if the selected variables can predict days with high Alt a 1 load. The results indicate that higher temperatures and absolute humidity favor the presence of Alt a 1 in the atmosphere, while time of precipitation is related to days without allergen. Moreover, using the selected parameters, the quadratic discriminant analysis to predict days with allergen showed an accuracy rate between 67 % and 85 %. The mismatch between daily airborne concentration of Alternaria spores and allergen load can be explained by the greater contribution of medium-to-long distance transport of the allergen from the major emission sources as compared with spores. Results highlight the importance of conducting aeroallergen quantification studies together with spore counts to improve the forecasting models of allergy risk, especially for fungal spores.S

Links between recent trends in airborne pollen concentration, meteorological parameters and air pollutants

[EN] Biogenic aerosols may play an active role in various diseases. Pollutant gases and bioaerosols coexist in the atmosphere with the possibility of interacting with each other increasing their adverse impacts on human health. The study of long-term trends and the correlation between the pollen concentration from selected taxa (especially those related to allergies) and both the main atmospheric pollutants and the meteorological parameters has enabled us to identify the main factors that affect pollen concentration in the atmosphere. This study analyzes the long-term trend in CO, NO, NO2, PM10, SO2 and O3 from 1997 to 2016 and Fraxinus, Poaceae and Populus pollen concentrations in the city of León from 1994 to 2016. In general, there is a significant decreasing trend in atmospheric pollutant concentrations and a significant increasing trend in Fraxinus pollen concentrations. In addition, the influence of air pollutants and climatic factors on pollen concentrations and pollination period duration was studied using the Spearman correlation, showing that the flowering and pollination periods depend largely of the weather conditions before these periods and are influenced by air pollutant concentrationsSISpanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant TEC2014-57821-R), the University of León (Programa Propio 2015/00054/001 and 2018/00203/001) and AERORAIN project (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Grant CGL2014-52556-R, co-financed with FEDER funds). F. Oduber acknowledges the grant BES-2015-074473 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. C. Blanco-Alegre acknowledges the grant FPU16-05764 from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Spor

Unusual winter Saharan dust intrusions at Northwest Spain: Air quality, radiative and health impacts

[EN] Saharan air masses can transport high amounts of mineral dust particles and biological material to the Iberian Peninsula. During winter, this kind of events is not very frequent and usually does not reach the northwest of the Peninsula. However, between 21 and 22 February 2016 and between 22 and 23 February 2017, two exceptional events were registered in León (Spain), which severely affected air quality. An integrative approach including: i) typical synoptic conditions; ii) aerosol chemical composition; iii) particle size distributions; iv) pollen concentration; v) aerosol optical depth (AOD); vi) radiative forcing and vii) estimation of the impact of aerosols in the respiratory tract, was carried out. In the global characterization of these events, the exceedance of the PM10 daily limit value, an increase in the coarse mode and a rise in the iron concentration were observed. On the 2016 event, an AOD and extinction-related Ångström exponent clearly characteristic of desert aerosol (1.1 and 0.05, respectively) were registered. Furthermore, pollen grains not typical of flowering plants in this period were identified. The chemical analysis of the aerosol from the 2017 event allowed us to confirm the presence of the main elements associated with mineral sources (aluminum, calcium, and silica concentrations). An increase in the SO42−, NO3− and Cl− concentrations during the Saharan dust intrusion was also noted. However, in this event, there was no presence of atypical pollen types. The estimated dust radiative forcing traduced a cooling effect for surface and atmosphere during both events, corroborated by trends of radiative flux measurements. The estimated impact on the respiratory tract regions of the high levels of particulate matter during both Saharan dust intrusions showed high levels for the respirable fractionSIThis study was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant TEC2014-57821-R), the University of León (Programa Propio 2015/00054/001 and 2018/00203/001) and the AERORAIN project (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Grant CGL2014-52556-R, co-financed with European FEDER funds). F. Oduber acknowledges the grant BES-2015-074473 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. C. Blanco-Alegre acknowledges the grant FPU16-05764 from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, Spain. The authors gratefully acknowledge the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) for the provision of the HYSPLIT transport and dispersion model and/or READY website (http://www.ready.noaa.gov) used in this study. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to the Naval Research Laboratory for providing the NAAP aerosol map and NASA for the satellite image used in the graphical abstract. The data from the MAPAMA network are property of the Office for Quality and Environmental Evaluation (DGCEA, in its Spanish acronym), belonging to the Ministry of Ecologic Transition. The data were supplied as a result of an agreement between the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment and the Scientific Research Council for sponsoring studies related to air pollution by particulate matter and metals in Spain. We thank AERONET network and specially Victoria E. Cachorro Revilla and Carlos Toledano for establishing and maintaining the Valladolid AERONET site used in this investigation. We also thank to Philippe Dubuisson for allowing the use of GAME model, as well as the Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique (University of Lille

Aprendizaje-Servicio en el entorno rural de León

[ES] A través del grupo de Innovación Docente BIOMETAC, nace esta experiencia de ApS para promover en los estudiantes de los grados en Biología, Biotecnología y Ciencias Ambientales de la ULE, la iniciativa cívica de participación en la sociedad. El objetivo general del proyecto es que el alumnado aplique sus conocimientos y habilidades para sensibilizar y dinamizar a la población de varios municipios rurales de León frente a retos de la Agenda 2030 asociados a la salud y la sostenibilidad ambiental. Se establecieron 3 grupos de trabajo, cada uno integrado por 12 estudiantes de los tres grados, que trabajan en 3 municipios rurales de la provincia de León: Cistierna, Truchas y Villablino, con diversas problemáticas en el ámbito de la salud y medioambiente. El Proyecto se realiza en tres fases: Preparación, Ejecución y Evaluación y Difusión. Durante la primera fase (curso 2021/22), se realizaron reuniones con el alumnado para guiarlos en el diagnóstico de cada municipio. Los datos obtenidos permitieron detectar los problemas que más preocupaban a la población de cada municipio. En una segunda fase (curso 2022/23), los alumnos profundizarán en las distintas problemáticas mediante actuaciones propuestas por ellos mismos y presentarán sus conclusiones en cada municipio. Esta experiencia pretende que los estudiantes pongan los conocimientos y las competencias adquiridas al servicio de comunidades rurales, trabajando directamente sobre varios Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS), mejorando su capacidad de iniciativa, autonomía en la organización del trabajo, y responsabilidad para la resolución de problemas

Megaproyectos urbanos y productivos. Impactos socio-territoriales

El desarrollo de megaproyectos productivos trae consigo oportunidades para el crecimiento económico, la generación de empleos y el desarrollo regional. No obstante, en la actualidad, los grandes temas como la expansión urbana, el desarrollo industrial, las cementeras, la minería, el uso intensivo del agua y demás recursos naturales, preocupan a las comunidades por los impactos generados y porque en lo general, no consideran la racionalidad y responsabilidad ambiental y social hacia el entorno. En este contexto son diversos los estudios científicos que, en el marco de la política de económica imperante, intentan posicionarse como alternativas a proyectos económicos que confrontan los intereses particulares y comunitarios y que afectan la salud humana y ambiental. Megaproyectos urbanos y productivos. Impactos socio-territoriales, reúne veinticinco textos académicos sobre las afectaciones que éstos emprendimientos tienen para la sociedad y el entorno. Los temas expuestos recogen experiencias en el desarrollo urbano, industrial, turístico, portuario y aeroportuario, entre otros. Así mismo se retoman temas como la ética, la dialéctica, la política y la economía y su relación en el emprendimiento de megaproyectos. La búsqueda de esquemas productivos racionales y responsables con el entorno, que reivindiquen el derecho de las comunidades a un medio ambiente sano, a la preservación del territorio y sus recursos y de las formas de vida tradicionales, son los referentes para la realización del presente libro. Como elemento central se concibe el territorio como contenedor de identidad y vida, siendo preocupación y tema de estudio de la comunidad académica, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y las redes de activistas organizados.UAEM, CONACyT, se