Aerobiological notes in the Biosphere Reserve “Sierras de Béjar y Francia” (MW Spain)

Aerobiological studies in urban areas are quite abundant in recent decades, but not in rural areas with a high environmental value. In this work, we analyze the airborne levels of pollen and fern spores in year 2012 collected by means of a volumetric sampler located in an ecological vineyard and in the Biosphere Reserve “Sierras de Béjar y Francia.” The results showed a high atmospheric representation of the natural vegetation of the environment, with almost half of the airborne pollen coming from the most represented tree formations such as chestnut and oak trees. Airborne concentrations of grass pollen reached approximately a 25% of the total, with high levels during 33 days of the year, 18 of them in January, February and March. The seasonal and intradaily behavior of the most abundant pollen types was focused on the months of May, June and July and the central hours of the day, respectively. Temperature had a positive influence on the levels of the main pollen types, while rainfall had a negative effect on pollen types from herbaceous species.