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

Variation and evolutionary transformation of some characters of the pollinarium and pistil in Epidendroideae (Orchidaceae)

[EN] We studied the variation in the pollinarium and pistil of Epidendroideae and reconstructed the ancestral states of the characters (pollinia number, pollinium orientation, pollinium with suture, and pollinium texture). The pollinarium is complete (formed by pollinium, caudicle, stipe, and viscidium) in Vandeae, Epidendreae, and Cymbidieae, but the caudicle is absent in some Aeridinae and the viscidium in Laeliinae and Pleurothallidinae. Neottieae, Arethuseae, Sobralieae, Epidendreae, and Xerorchideae included some genera having sessile pollinia. The more frequent state in the family is to have two pollinia, followed by four, eight, and six pollinia. The pistil is unilocular, although it seems to have experienced reversals several times within Epidendroideae because intermediate states were observed (e.g. Vanda and Angraecum). In these cases, a prolongation of the placental tissue is developed that in Huntleya and Peristeria make contact but do not fuse. Most members of the subfamily have pistil composed of three carpels divided into six emerging valves, but only three are fertile. In Cattleya and Sophronitis the sterile valves are much reduced and the pistil seems to have only three valves. We have generated useful and valuable information to understand the evolution of the reproductive organs in Epidendroideae. Probably, these transformations in the pollinarium and pistil have co-evolved in tandem with pollinators to make the pollination more efficient. Our results suggest that the common ancestor of Epidendroideae had a complete pollinarium, formed probably of four juxtaposed granular pollinia without suture, bearing caudicle, tegular stipe and viscidium, but several early transformations occurred during the Epidendroideae diversificationSIWe thank the Technological University of Chocó (Colombia) and the Spanish Foundation Carolina, which partially subsidized the doctoral studies of HR Mosquera-Mosquera. Special thanks are due to the Colombian Orchid Society (SCO) for funding and providing samples for this research. The authors thank Rafael Geovo (Istmina-Chocó, Colombia) and Roberto de Angulo Blum (Popayan, Colombia), owners of private collections of orchids, for their unconditional support and gifts of living material. The authors also thank the directors and curators of the Herbaria CHOCO, COL, HPUJ, HUA, and JAUM, K, and MA, for providing samples for our research, and Cristian D. Gaitan for drawing the illustrations. We are also grateful to the editor and reviewers for their critical comments and helpful suggestions for the manuscript. We sincerely thank Professor Felix Llamas (University of Leon) for his constant advice, collaboration, and the review of the several versions of this work, and Ms. Elizabeth Bailey for English language editin

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

A study of airborne pollen in two municipalities of Castilla y León (Sierra de Gredos, Central Mountain Range, Spain)

Ejemplar dedicado a: Aeropalinología y polinosis[ES] Se realiza el estudio de los niveles de polen atmosférico en dos municipios del sur de la Comunidad de Castilla y León, Béjar (Salamanca) y Arenas de San Pedro (Ávila), situados en diferentes vertientes de la Sierra de Gredos en el Sistema Central (España). La recogida de muestras aerobiológicas se ha llevado a cabo utilizando captadores volumétricos tipo Hirst, desde 2011 a 2016 y se ha seguido la metodología de la Red Española de Aerobiología (REA), para la preparación y lectura de las mismas.Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto que los índices polínicos anuales son más elevados en la localidad de Béjar. Asimismo, al ser zonas rurales, la presencia de polen en el aire está condicionada, principalmente, por la vegetación natural del entorno, por ello los tipos polínicos predominantes son los mismos en ambas poblaciones, aunque en concentraciones diferentes, destacando Quercus, Castanea y Cupressaceae en Béjar y Quercus, Poaceae y Olea en Arenas de San Pedro. El valor máximo de concentración de polen presenta diferencias por tipo polínico, localidad y año; y se han registrado niveles altos, durante más de 20 días al año, para los tipos polínicos Castanea, Poaceae y Quercus en las dos localidades y además para Alnus, Fraxinus y Urticaceae en Béjar.El análisis estadístico del índice de Spearman muestra que existe correlación entre los resultados de las dos estaciones, aunque el test de Wilcoxon revela diferencias significativas en la cantidad de polen entre los municipios para todos los tipos polínicos, excepto para Cupressaceaey Quercus[EN] A study of the airborne pollen in two towns of Castilla y León (Béjar, Salamanca, and Arenas de San Pedro, Ávila), which are located on different slopes of the Sierra de Gredos in the Central Mountain Range of Spain, was conducted. The airborne pollen count was obtained using two Hirst-type volumetric spore traps from 2011 to 2016. Sampling, preparation and data interpretation were performed according to the Spanish Aerobiological Network’s (REA) methodology.The results show the annual pollen indexes are higher in the town of Béjar. In addition, being rural areas, the presence of pollen in the air is mainly conditioned by the natural vegetation of the environment. For this reason, the predominant pollen types are the same in both towns, especially Quercus, Castanea and Cupressaceae in Béjar, and Quercus, Poaceae and Olea in Arenas de San Pedro. The peak data of pollen concentration shows differences by pollen type, town and year; high levels of Castanea, Poaceae and Quercus pollen types have been recorded in both towns for over 20 days per year and of Alnus, Fraxinus and Urticaceae in Béjar.Statistical analysis of the Spearman correlation index shows that there is an evident, significant correlation between the two sampling stations. In addition, the Wilkoson test has revealed significant differences between both stations for all pollen types except Cupressaceae and Quercus[PT] Realizou-se um estudo dos níveis de pólen atmosférico em dois municípios do sul da Comunidade Autónoma de Castela e Leão, Béjar (Salamanca) e Arenas de San Pedro (Ávila), situados em diferentes vertentes da Serra de Gredos no Sistema Central (Espanha). A colheita de amostras aerobiológicas foi efetuada através da utilização de captadores volumétricos tipo Hirst, desde 2011 a 2016, seguindo-se a metodologia da Rede Espanhola de Aerobiologia (REA) para a preparação e leitura das mesmas. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que os índices polínicos anuais são mais elevados na localidade de Béjar.Verificou-se também que, tratando-se de zonas rurais, a presença de pólen no ar é condicionada, principalmente, pela vegetação natural do meio ambiente. Assim, os tipos polínicos predominantes são os mesmos em ambas as populações, ainda que em concentrações diferentes, destacandose Quercus, Castanea e Cupressaceae em Béjar e Quercus, Poaceaee Olea em Arenas de San Pedro. O valor máximo de concentração de pólen apresenta diferenças por tipo polínico, localidade e ano. Registaram-se níveis altos, durante mais de 20 dias por ano, para os tipos polínicos Castanea, Poaceae e Quercus nas duas localidades e também para Alnus, Fraxinus e Urticaceae em Béjar. A análise estatística do índice Spearman mostra que existe uma correlação entreos resultados das duas estações, embora o teste de Wilkoson revele diferenças significativas na quantidade de pólen entre os municípios para todos os tipos polínicos, exceto para Cupressaceae e QuercusSIEste trabajo ha sido posible gracias a los datos cedidos por la Consejería de Sanidad de la Junta de Castilla y Leó

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

Daily behavior of urban Fluorescing Aerosol Particles in northwest Spain

[EN] Measurements of ambient aerosol particles at the University of León, León, Spain, were made in May and June 2015 with a Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Spectrometer (WIBS). The WIBS detects Fluorescing Aerosol Particles (FAP) in the size range from 0.5 to 20 μm. These measurements were complemented with an analysis of pollen concentrations assessed with optical microscopy of samples captured with a volumetric Hirst spore trap. The total particle, FAP and pollen concentrations show clear, daily cycles. Whereas the total particle con- centrations maximize at 0800 and 2200 UTC, the FAP concentrations have peaks at midnight and 0800 UTC while the pollen has a broad peak between 1200 and 2000 UTC. The FAP larger than 2 μm represent 15–35% of the total particle population in this size range, maximizing at midnight UTC. Similar to what has been found by investigators at other locations, there is a strong positive correlation of the WIBS measured FAP with relative humidity; however, the pollen concentration is positively correlated with the temperature and anti-correlated with the relative humidity. Back trajectory analysis indicates that the largest FAP to total particle fractions are found in air masses arriving from the northeast with the second largest coming from the southwest. Given the location of the university in relation to the city and forested areas, this implies that the higher concentration FAP are coming from rural, probably natural, sources; however, more local, anthropogenic sources cannot be ruled out as a secondary source. The majority of the FAP that are identified from microscopy are fungal spores (Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Alternaria, Oidium) and pollen grains (mainly Poaceae, Quercus, Plantago, Rumex and Urticaceae). A comparison of the fluorescence fingerprints between laboratory generated FAP and the ambient particles showed some similarities; however, a significant fraction of the FAP are those whose fluorescence patterns do not match any of those that have been previously classified in the laboratorySIThis 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 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 Sport. 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 publicatio

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