Airborne pollen and fungal spores in Garki,
Abuja (North-Central Nigeria)
Dimphna Nneka Ezike, Catherine
V. Nnamani, Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe &
Olushola H. Adekanmbi
Aerobiologia
International Journal of Aerobiology including the online journal `Physical
Aerobiology'
ISSN 0393-5965
Aerobiologia
DOI 10.1007/s10453-016-9443-5
1 23
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1 23
Aerobiologia
DOI 10.1007/s10453-016-9443-5
ORIGINALPAPER
Airborne pollen and fungal spores in Garki, Abuja
(North-Central Nigeria)
Dimphna Nneka Ezike . Catherine V. Nnamani .
Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe . Olushola H. Adekanmbi
Received: 20 November 2015 / Accepted: 11 May 2016
Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract The ambient atmosphere is dominated
with pollen and spores, which trigger allergic reactions
and diseases and impact negatively on human health.
A survey of pollen and fungal spores constituents of
the atmosphere of Garki, Abuja (North-Central Nigeria) was carried out for 1 year (June 1, 2011–May 31,
2012). The aim of the study was to determine the
prevalence and abundance of pollen and fungal spores
in the atmosphere and their relationship with meteorological parameters. Airborne samples were trapped
using modified Tauber-like pollen trap, and the
recipient solutions were subjected to acetolysis.
Results revealed the abundance of fungal spores,
pollen, fern spores, algal cysts and diatoms in
decreasing order of dominance. The atmosphere was
qualitatively and quantitatively dominated by pollen
during the period of late rainy/harmattan season than
the rainy season. Numerous fungal spores were
trapped throughout the sampling periods among which
Alternaria spp., Fusarium spp., Cladosporium spp.
and Curvularia spp. dominated. These fungi have been
implicated in allergic diseases and are dermatophytic,
causing diverse skin diseases. Other pathogenic fungi
D. N. Ezike (&) C. V. Nnamani
Department of Applied Biology, Faculty of Science,
Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria
e-mail: dimphna.nneka@yahoo.com
O. T. Ogundipe O. H. Adekanmbi
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of
Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria
found in the studied aeroflora were Dreschlera spp.,
Helminthosporium spp., Torula spp., Pithomyces spp.,
Tetraploa spp., Nigrospora ssp., Spadicoides spp.,
Puccinia spp. and Erysiphe graminis. Total pollen and
fungal spores counts do not show significant correlation with meteorological parameters.
Keywords Abuja Allergy Atmosphere
Meteorological parameters Pollen Fungal spores
1 Introduction
Pollen and fungal spores are the most dominant
aeroallergens, because of their ubiquitous and wide
distribution in time and space than any other representatives of living matter (Shahali et al. 2007). Their
dispersal in the atmosphere is modulated by meteorological parameters such as rainfall, humidity, temperature, wind velocity and strength. Geography and
vegetation also play a crucial role in the type of pollen
or spores present in the atmosphere of any region
(Burge 2002; Perveen et al. 2007). The clinical
significance of airborne particles is largely related to
their allergenicity which is influenced by their numbers and perhaps their bulk concentrations. Allergies
due to pollen are seasonal, and hypersensitive individuals living in an area with high atmospheric
concentration of anemophilous plants have a higher
risk of developing allergic sensitization. Atmospheric
123
Aerobiologia
pollen and fungal spores are recognized to provoke
allergic sensitizations such as conjunctivitis, extrinsic
rhinitis and asthma. Their importance in clinical
allergy has been well established for many years ago
(Li and Kendrick 1995). The provocation of pollen
allergies is due to allergen protein contained in the
sporoderm and cytoplasm (Perveen et al. 2007).
Knowledge of their prevalence is required for a
rational approach to diagnosis and management of
allergic diseases (Chatterjee and Hargreave 1974).
Airborne fungal spores’ concentration could be
used as an indicator of pathogen development and
could be useful when the infection levels are initially
determined by inoculum rather than the weather. In
these conditions, monitoring of airborne inoculums
and their relationship with meteorological data provides a valuable tool for establishing the basis for an
accurate modern integrated pest management strategy
(Escuredo et al. 2011).
Airborne pollen have proved to be extremely
relevant in the evaluation of the vegetation characteristics of a study area, understanding of the flowering
periodicity and in developing a functional model for
predicting pollen concentration in the atmosphere.
Most aeropalynological works have been carried out
in Nsukka (South-East Nigeria) (Agwu and Osibe
1992; Agwu 1997; Njokuocha 2006), in Lagos (SouthWest Nigeria) (Adeniyi et al. 2014; Adekanbi and
Ogundipe 2010) in Rivers State (South-south) (Agwu
and Osibe 1992). The present study was carried out in
Garki, Abuja, over a period of 12 months. The
objectives of the study were to ascertain (a) the
atmospheric pollen and fungal spores (aeroallergens)
concentration in Garki, and (b) the seasonal prevalence of airborne pollen and fungal spores and their
relationship to meteorological parameters.
2 Materials and methods
2.1 Study area
The study was conducted in Garki, Abuja, the Federal
Capital Territory of Nigeria, located north of the
confluence of the River Niger and Benue River. The
Federal Capital Territory has an area of 7314.2 km2,
and the actual city occupies 273.3 km2. It is bordered
by Niger state to the West and North, Kaduna to the
123
North-East, Nasarawa to the East and South and Kogi
to the South-West (Fig. 1).
The climate is influenced by two main seasons: the
rainy season which lasts from May to September and
dry season from October to April. The area belongs to
the tropical region with average monthly temperature
fluctuating between 24.7 and 34.3 °C. The mean
annual rainfall varies from 19.0 to 130.3 mm. The
vegetation is a mosaic of lowland Rainforest and
secondary Grassland (Ofomata 1975; White 1983).
The sampled site is located at 9°00 000 N and 7°300 300 E.
Grassland dominates the vegetation around the trap
and is characterized by Panicum maximum, Andropogon tectorum, Imperata cylindrica, Anthephora
ampulacea, Imperata cylindrica, Pennisetum purpureum and Hyparrhenia barteri. The vegetation is
highly diverse and includes lowland Rainforest taxa in
protected areas and derived Savanna dominated by
Elaeis guineensis, Alchornea cordiforlia, Pentacletra
macrophylla, Gloriosa superba, etc. The herbaceous
plants were dominated by Aspilia africana and
Ageratum conyzoides.
2.2 Sample collection
Modified Tauber-like pollen trap was employed for
the collection of the airborne pollen and spores. The
trap was placed at the height of 5 ft above the ground
level (Fig. 2). A solution made of glycerol (50 ml),
formaldehyde (10 ml) and phenol (5 ml) was prepared
and poured into the trap. The recipient solutions were
collected monthly for the period of 1 year. Samples
were sieved through 200-lm mesh wire gauze to filter
off large organic particles. The liquid with suspended
palynomorphs was centrifuged at 2500 revolution per
minute for 5 min to recover the palynomorphs
residues. The residues were washed three times with
water and were acetolyzed according to a modified
version of Erdtman (1971) procedures; acetolysis
mixture which consists of concentrated sulfuric acid
and acetic anhydride in the ratio of 9: 1 was prepared;
5 ml of the acetolysis mixture was poured into each
sample and placed in water bath for 10 min at 100 °C.
They were centrifuged, decanted and washed twice
with distilled water. The recovered residues were
stored in vials with two drops of glycerine. Temporary
slides were prepared and examined using light Olympus CH Trinocular microscope (LM), equipped with
Aerobiologia
Fig. 1 Map of Abuja (North-Central Nigeria), showing the study area
650 IS Cannon Digital camera at 4009 and 1009
magnifications. Identification was based on comparison with reference collection of pollen slides,
description and photomicrographs of pollen and
spores using books and journals (Agwu and Akanbi
1985; Y’bert 1979). Agwu (1997) and Agwu and
Osibe (1992) also used Tauber-like pollen traps
similar to the trap employed in this study and also
the same methodology.
Pollen and fungal spores obtained were counted
monthly and expressed in frequency. The data
obtained were analyzed using the SPSS statistical
package version 20 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, Illinois USA).
Correlation coefficients were generated to examine the
relationship among pollen, fungal spores frequency
and meteorological data. Meteorological data were
obtained from Nigerian Meteorological Centre Abuja,
Nigeria.
123
Aerobiologia
5 ft
Fig. 2 Modified Tauber-like pollen trap in the field
3 Results
Fifty-three pollen types belonging to 36 families were
identified (Table 1). Three, thirteen and 37 pollen
were identified to family, generic and species levels,
respectively. The atmosphere was qualitatively and
quantitatively dominated with varied species of fungal
spores. Eighteen fungal spore types were identified
(Table 2). The annual contribution of fungal spores of
3534 (54.98 %) was found to be greater than the 2852
pollen grains (45.01 %). The months with the highest
pollen abundance were October 518 (17.65 %),
November 472 (16.08 %) and December 354
(12.07 %). May 96 (3.37 %) and June 94 (3.29 %)
had the lowest pollen records (Fig. 3). High values of
fungal spores were recorded in November, which was
essentially dominated by Erysiphe graminis accounting 93 % of its annual total. February with 12 spores
(0.34 %) had the lowest record of fungal spores
(Fig. 2; Table 2). The major pollen contributors were
Poaceae 524 (18.4), Pentaclethra macrophylla 402
(14.1), Elaeis guineensis 365(12.80), Justicia spp. 211
(7.39), Cassia spp. 160 (5.6), Alchornea cordiforlia
103 (3.61) and Luffa spp. 102 (3.57).
The anemophilous pollen recorded from aeroflora
of Abuja include those of Poaceae, Elaies guineensis,
123
Cyperus esculenta, Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae,
Terminalia sp., Casuarina equisetifolia, Cocos nucifera and Dracaena arborea. The overall percentage
contribution of anemophilous pollen (71 %) was
higher than recorded by entomophilous pollen
(29 %). Anemophilous pollen dominated from the
month of June to February, while the entomophilous
were more abundant from the month of September to
May. Poaceae and Elaeis guineensis were the most
pollen producers taxa. Poaceae pollen showed the
maximum abundance in October; Elaeis guinensis
pollen delayed 1 month and peaked in November
(Fig. 4).
Airborne pollen grains were grouped into three
categories based on their sources: trees/shrubs, herbs
and grasses pollen. Trees and shrubs comprised of
51.61 %, grasses and herbs reached 32.70 and
15.68 %, respectively. Trees and shrubs pollen were
the bulk contributors of the atmospheric pollen, and
their dominance could be demarcated between the
months of September to February. The dominant trees
and shrubs pollen at the studied location were:
Pentaclethra macrophylla 402 (14.10), Elaeis
guineensis 365 (12.80), Justicia spp. 213 (7.47),
Lannea acida 71 (2.4), Alchornea cordiforlia 103
(3.61) and Khaya senegalensis 98 (3.44) among
others.
As regards the fungal spores, the atmosphere was
dominated by different species such as Erysiphe
graminis 1235 (34.95 %), Hansfordiella spp. 3209
(9.05), Puccinia spp. 294 (8.32), Nigrospora spp. 224
(6.34), Pithomyces spp. 163 (4.61) and Curvularia
spp. 153 (4.33). Most spores were more abundant from
the months of June to December, and their atmospheric load declined after the month of December.
The relationship between pollen counts and
weather parameters was correlated (Fig. 5). The total
pollen counts correlated not significantly, negatively
with rainfall, relative humidity and wind but positively with temperature. Poaceae pollen concentration was positively correlated with rainfall and
humidity, whereas it was negatively correlated with
increasing temperature and wind. The pollen of Luffa
sp. showed a positive and highly significant coefficient of correlation with wind (Table 3). There was a
positive but not significant correlation between the
total fungal spores count and relative humidity
(Table 4). However, most dominant fungal spores
with the exception of Erysiphe graminis correlated
Aerobiologia
Table 1 Frequency of atmospheric pollen of Garki, Abuja (North-Central Nigeria), from June 2011 to May 2012
S. no
Pollen
Months
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr May
Total
%
1
Acacia spp.
2
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
0.21
2
Adansonia digitata
0
0
0
0
0
12
4
0
0
0
0
0
16
0.56
3
Ageratum conyzoides
0
0
0
0
12
0
0
16
0
0
0
0
28
0.98
4
Albizia spp.
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
5
Alchornea cordiforlia
1
0
0
12
2
52
8
2
16
4
6
0
103
3.61
6
Aloe bateri
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0.11
7
Amaranthaceae/
Chenopodiaceae
0
0
44
8
0
16
0
4
0
0
0
0
72
2.52
8
Aneilema beninlense
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
9
Anthocleista djalonensis
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
20
0
0
0
0
24
0.84
10
Aspilia africana
0
0
6
22
2
8
0
0
0
0
1
6
45
1.58
11
12
Asteraceae
Bridelia ferruginea
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
24
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
24
0.14
0.8
13
Bulbostylis filamentosa
0.14
14
Cassia spp.
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
4
28
0
0
4
10
8
0
0
8
30
16
56
160
5.6
Casuarina equisetifolia
1
6
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
6
4
27
0.95
16
Ceiba pentandra
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0.14
17
Celtis zenkeri
0
0
0
0
0
16
20
0
0
0
0
0
36
1.26
18
Cissus spp.
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.1
19
Cochlospermum tinctorum
0
16
0
0
0
0
42
0
0
0
0
0
58
2.03
20
Cocos nucifera
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0.14
21
Crotalaria spp.
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
4
0
0
0
10
0.35
22
Cyperus esculenta
0
0
0
4
0
44
4
1
10
6
2
2
73
2.56
23
Dichrostachys cinera
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
8
0
0
0
10
0.35
24
Dracaena arborea
0
0
8
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
0.35
25
Drypetes gilgiana
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
26
27
Eichlornia natans
Elaeis guineensis
2
118
0
6
0
8
0
5
0
0
6 206
0
8
0
8
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
365
0.07
12.80
28
Eugenia spp.
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
29
Gardenia imperialis
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
30
Gloriosa superba
0
0
2
0
32
0
2
6
0
0
0
0
42
1.50
31
Hexabolus scrispiflorus
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
8
0.28
32
Hymenocardia acida
0
2
4
12
12
0
0
0
6
0
20
0
56
1.96
33
Ipomea spp.
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
32
0
0
0
48
1.68
34
Justicia spp.
0
8
8
0
0
2
4
13
18
134
14
12
213
7.47
35
Khaya senegalensis
3.44
36
Lannea acida
37
0
0
2
30
18
48
0
0
0
0
0
0
98
63
6
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
71
2.40
Lannea welwitschii
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
38
Lophira alata
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
39
Luffa spp.
0
0
0
0
21
2
0
6
12
26
73
2
102
3.58
40
Marantochloa cuspidate
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
41
42
Milletia spp.
Olax subscorpoides
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
0
12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
24
0.07
0.84
43
Parkia biglobosa
2
0
0
0
6
0
0
16
0
0
0
0
24
0.84
123
Aerobiologia
Table 1 continued
S. no
Pollen
Months
Jun
44
Pentaclethra macrophylla
45
Poaceae
46
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr May
Total
%
0
0
4
120
0
36
188
54
0
0
0
0
402
14.10
48
44
44
68
248
20
28
16
8
0
0
0
524
18.37
Phyllanthus discoides
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
47
Polygala multiflora
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
4
0.14
48
Solenostemon monostachys
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
0.50
49
Syzygium spp.
50
Uapaca togoensis
51
Terminalia spp.
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
2
0
0
0
0
14
14
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
2
2
8
14
44
1.54
4
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
6
0.21
52
Vernonia spp.
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
0
0
0
0
12
0.42
53
Vigna multinervis
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.07
294
94
142
181
518
472
354
212
124
210
146
96
2852
Total pollen
Table 2 Frequency of atmospheric fungal spores of Garki, Abuja (North-Central Nigeria), from June 2011 to May 2012
S. no
Fungal spores
Months
Jun
1
Alternaria spp.
2
3
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Total
%
14
4
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
28
70
1.98
Apiosporina spp.
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.06
Aspergillus spp.
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
0.08
4
Cercosporella spp.
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0.08
5
Cladosporium spp.
15
24
0
0
45
0
8
4
0
0
0
0
96
2.72
6
Curvularia spp.
0
4
12
9
96
2
0
18
12
0
0
0
153
4.33
7
Erysiphe graminis
0
0
2
0
0
1200
24
9
0
0
0
0
1235
34.95
8
Fusarium spp.
0
0
6
0
0
20
0
0
0
0
0
0
26
0.74
9
Hansfordiella spp.
37
123
90
6
64
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
320
9.05
10
Helminthosporium sp.
6
0
6
30
0
6
8
0
0
0
0
0
56
1.58
11
Pithomyces spp.
12
15
20
20
54
6
36
0
0
0
0
0
163
4.61
12
Nigrospora spp.
51
6
48
12
45
12
0
6
0
24
10
10
224
6.34
13
Puccinia spp.
12
28
189
60
3
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
294
8.32
14
Spadicoides spp.
0
75
0
30
46
0
0
0
0
20
0
0
171
4.84
15
16
Sporidesmium spp.
Tetraploa spp.
32
111
0
3
0
9
0
3
165
2
0
0
0
12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
197
140
5.57
3.96
17
Torula spp.
15
28
6
12
3
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
66
1.87
18
Venturia spp.
0
0
0
1
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9
0.25
19
Indeterminate
2
2
120
21
40
24
84
0
0
0
0
0
293
8.29
310
312
510
210
573
1285
175
37
12
44
28
38
3534
Total pollen
positively with rainfall and relative humidity and
negatively with the wind (Table 4). Puccinia spp.
showed a negative and highly significant coefficient
of correlation with temperature. Hansfordiella spp.
123
was associated positively and significantly with
relative humidity (Table 4). The photomicrographs
of some recovered pollen and fungal spores are
shown in Fig. 6.
Aerobiologia
Absolute pollen and spores counts
1400
1200
1000
800
POLLEN
600
SPORES
400
200
0
JUN
JLY
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
JAN
FEB
MCH
APL
MAY
300
Elaeis
Poaceae
250
200
150
100
50
0
JUN JLY AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MCH APL MAY
Months
Fig. 4 Monthly variations of Poaceae and Elaeis guineensis
pollen from June 2011 to May 2012 in Garki
4 Discussion
The results provided detailed information about the
relative abundance of the source plants as well as their
pollination periods. The number of pollen types (53)
recorded in this work for 1 year is higher compared to
40 pollen types belonging to twenty-six families
recovered in 1 year in two sampling sites in Nsukka
plateau, South-East Nigeria (Njokuocha 2006).
Thirty-seven pollen types belong to 30 families in
Shomolu Local Government Area, South-West Nigeria (Adeniyi et al. 2014). The vegetation was therefore
inferred rich and more diverse than previous studied
areas in Nigeria. Flowering was observed throughout
the year though with some variations. The dominant
trees, shrubs and grass pollen at the studied location
Mean monthly temperature, rainfall, relaƟve
humidity and wind
Values of Elaeis guinensis and Poaceae
Fig. 3 Monthly variations of atmospheric pollen and fungal spores from June 2011 to May 2012 in Garki
300
T
R
250
R.H
200
W
150
100
50
0
Months
Fig. 5 Mean monthly values of meteorological parameters in
Garki (June 2011–May 2012). Mean monthly values of
meteorological parameters in Garki (June 2011–May 2012).
T Mean monthly temperature (°C), R mean monthly rainfall
(mm); R.H. mean monthly relative humidity (%), W, mean
monthly wind speed (km/h)
reflect the mosaic of lowland Rainforest and secondary Grassland ecotype as indicated by Ofomata
(1975) and White (1983). This is consistent with the
work of Nnamani and Uguru (2013), who reported the
abundance of these species in their work carried out in
Nigeria. The atmosphere contained more pollen
during the dry season (October to March), especially
at harmattan period (October to January) than the rainy
season (April to September). Major pollen contributors during the rainy season were Poaceae and Elaeis
guineensis, and they reached their monthly maximum
load in dry season. Large recovery of Elaeis
123
Aerobiologia
Table 3 Correlation coefficients between frequency of pollen
and meteorological parameters
Pollen count
R
R.H
W
Alchornea cordiforlia
-.466
.111
-225
-.106
Cyperus spp.
Elaeis guineensis
-.434
.109
-.293
-.237
.004
.044
Justicia spp.
T
.334
-.213
.346
-.273
-.293
Luffa spp.
-.186
.347
-.132
Pentaclethra
macrophylla
-.371
-.016
-.443
-.120
.289
-.162
.415
-.411
-.352
.019
-.176
-.243
Poaceae
Total pollen count
.334
.917**
** Correlation is significant at p = 0.01 level (2-tailed)
R mean monthly rainfall (mm), T mean monthly temperature
(°C), R.H mean monthly relative humidity (%), W mean
monthly wind speed (km/h)
Table 4 Correlation coefficients between frequency of fungal
spores and meteorological parameters
Spores count
Curvularia spp.
R
T
R.H
W
.087
-.087
.211
-.323
Erysiphe graminis
-.312
.022
-.097
-.146
Hansfordiella spp.
.555
-.558
.654*
Nigrospora spp.
.279
-.507
.590
-.291
Pithomyces spp.
.236
-.317
.262
-.400
Puccinia spp.
.485
-.933**
.497
-.298
Spadicoides spp.
.550
.067
.499
-.246
Sporidesmium spp.
.100
.010
.299
-.286
Tridentarium spp.
.094
-.058
.249
-.133
-.021
-.324
.266
-.405
Total fungal spores
-.373
** Correlation is significant at the p = 0.01 level (2-tailed)
* Correlation is significant at the p = 0.05 level (2-tailed)
R mean monthly rainfall (mm), T mean monthly temperature
(°C), R.H. mean monthly relative humidity (%), W mean
monthly wind speed (km/h)
guineensis pollen could reflect the extent of palm
forest within the study area. More pollen dominated
the atmosphere at dry and more windy periods than the
rainy and humid periods. Harmattan period (October
to January) was designated as a higher risk period for
hypersensitive individuals to pollen. The greater
intensity of rainfall inferred through its amount and
duration leads to a decline in pollen morphotypes,
since rainfall washes down suspended pollen in the
atmosphere.
123
Among the anemophilous pollen, Poaceae and
Elaeis guinensis pollen were the most abundant.
Njokuocha (2006) and Agwu and Osibe (1992) also
found them preponderant in their studies. Poaceae
pollen include the wild and cultivated grass pollen,
which were more abundant from June and December;
pollen allergies at this period could be attributed partly
to their higher antigenic load. Taketomi et al. (2008)
founded the pollen of Poaceae family as a major
sensitizing agent in patients with pollinosis. D’Amato
et al. (2007) stated also that grass-induced pollinosis is
the most common pollen allergy in Europe.
Anemophilous pollen have been reported to be
more implicated in allergies because of their higher
atmospheric load. Chatterjee and Hargreave (1974)
stated that they also have better aerodynamic properties than the entomophilous pollen. Furthermore,
anemophilous plants produce more pollen than entomophilous species as their pollination is hazardous.
This could have led to their more preponderance than
the latter. Their smaller sizes make them easily
trapped on skin, conjunctiva of the eyes and mucous
membrane of the nose; they might penetrate the lower
respiratory tract and induce symptoms of bronchial
asthma and/or hay fever (Abou Chakra et al. 2009).
The dominance of Erysiphe graminis coincided
with the decline of Poaceae pollen as Erysiphe
graminis is a pathogenic fungi on species of Poaceae.
The decline of pollen at the months of lower rainfall
could also be due to post-anthesis and the persistence
annual bush fires which usually occur during the
harmattan period in South-East and North-Central
Nigeria. Total pollen counts correlated negatively with
rainfall, relative humidity and wind but positively with
temperature. These findings are similar to those of
Barnes et al. (2000), Teranishi et al. (2000), Riberio
et al. (2003) and Njokuocha (2006), who found that
airborne pollen concentration correlated significantly
and positively with temperature and is correlated
negatively with rainfall and number of rainy days. In
contrast to our results, several studies obtained
significant and positive correlations between daily
Poaceae pollen concentration and daily maximum
temperature (Valencia-Barrera et al. 2001; Green et al.
2004) or daily minimum temperature (Green et al.
2004). In this study, pollen was dominated in the
month of October followed by November, and the
fungal spores dominated in the month of November
followed by October. This is contrary to Essien and
Aerobiologia
25 μm
4 μm
38 μm
F
E
D
33 μm
C
B
A
8 μm
15 μm
G
1 μm
Fig. 6 Photomicrographs of some recovered pollen and fungal
spores in the atmosphere of Garki. Pollen a Elaeis guineensis,
b Bombax buonopozense, fungal spores c Curvularia sp.;
d Tridentarium sp.; e Alternaria sp.; f Nigrospora sp.; g,
Fusarium sp. All magnifications 9400
Oluwagbemiga (2014), who found pollen more abundant in the month of May followed by June and spores
more preponderant in the month of December followed by March, in the atmosphere of Anyigba, Kogi
State, Nigeria. The study also was contrary to
Njokuocha (2006), who found pollen more abundant
in September followed by December in the atmosphere of Nsukka, Nigeria. The highly significant
positive correlation of Luffa sp. to wind unlike the
other dominant pollen indicates its pollen transport is
being influenced by the prevailed local wind in the
month of April and probably its localization on the
trajectory of the dominant wind direction.
Alternaria spores were only present during the
rainy season from April to September. Escuredo et al.
(2011) also reported their presence in the atmosphere
123
Aerobiologia
and their impacts on agricultural crops and human
health risks. Alternaria spores are potential source of
allergic disorders in human beings (Escuredo et al.
2011). Alternaria solani produces an early blight in
potato crops. The pathogen can infect all aerial parts of
Solanaceous crops including tomato, potato, eggplant
and pepper, as well as potato tubers (Tsitsigiannis et al.
2008).
Only a significant positive correlation was observed
with W (Luffa sp.), RH (Hansfordiella spp.) and
significant negative correlation with T (Puccinia spp.).
The positive correlation of 80 % of dominant fungal
spores with rainfall and 90 % with relative humidity is
probably related to the sporulation of fungi during the
rainy season. This agrees with Lyon et al. (1984), who
found significant correlation between humidity and
ascospores. This finding also agrees with the report by
Phanichyakarn et al. (1989), who also found dominance of fungal spores in the rainy season and lower in
the dry season in the atmosphere of Bangkok.
Sabariego et al. (2000) found different indices in the
correlation coefficients between fungal spores concentration and meteorological parameter. From the
result, 3 pollen dispersal patterns and 1 fungal season
were detected:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pollen morphotypes recorded in dry season and
dominated by pollen from Elaeis guineensis,
Poaceae, Cassia spp., Justicia spp., Luffa spp.
and Pentaclethra macrophylla
Pollen morphotypes recorded during rainy season
with long season (Elaeis guineensis, Poaceae) and
short season (Lannea acida, Cassia spp.)
Pollen morphotypes recorded during harmattan
period dominated by Poaceae, Elaeis guineensis,
Khaya senegalensis, Cyperus spp., Alchornea
cordiforlia, Pentaclethra macrophylla.
Rainy to late rainy season dominated by most
fungal spores.
5 Conclusion
This study contributes to the knowledge of the pollen
and spore content of the atmosphere of Garki, Abuja.
Their presence in the air was influenced by weather
parameters, geography and vegetation. As a result of
these variables, their atmospheric count vary from one
season to the other, resulting in a more pollen load
during the dry season, especially during the harmattan
123
period and more fungal spores load during the rainy
season with the exception of Erysiphe graminis in
November. The occurrence of some dominant fungal
spores could be an indicator of pathogen development
in the area and could warn the farmers and agriculturists to protect their crops from diseases. We
consider it necessary to include more years of
sampling in order to establish correlation between
total pollen and fungal spores counted and meteorological parameters.
Acknowledgments We sincerely appreciate the Department
of Botany, University of Lagos, Akoka, for the provision of
laboratory equipment for this research.
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided you give appropriate credit to the original
author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
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