Comparative ecological and aerobiological analyses of ornamental urban flora in the cities of Córdoba (Spain) and Ascoli Piceno (Italy) identified a group of plants with allergenic pollen whose behaviour is influenced by a number of factors. The geographical position and the resulting climate of both cities favoured the presence of Mediterranean species. In Córdoba, strongly allergenic evergreens introduced during the Moorish period predominated (Cupressus sempervirens, among others), while in the urban area of Ascoli Piceno, Pinaceae were abundant. In both cities, many species of American origin have been introduced for aesthetic reasons, contributing to an increase in the overall allergenicity of urban greenery. The pollen spectrum differed between the two cities: airborne Oleaceae and Cupressaceae pollen abounded in Córdoba, whilst allergenic pollen from surrounding natural environments (Corylaceae) predominated in Ascoli Piceno. These results pointed to a large number of potentially allergenic species in cities, thus highlighting the importance of greater ecological and aerobiological knowledge of allergenic species of urban ornamental flora. Avoidance of more allergenic species when planning new urban green areas could ensure healthier environments for pollen-allergy sufferers.
This research was designed to compare\ud allergenic flora of various cities of central Italy.\ud Because the data on this problem are rather scant, we\ud wanted to highlight the relationships among the\ud ecological conditions of the urban habitats, and the\ud plants whose pollens cause allergic manifestations in\ud the human population. Our results pointed out that the\ud structural design of the urban land use types play an\ud important role in the distribution of allergophytes.\ud The compact structure of the historic city center does\ud not impede the establishment of allergophytes. Actually,\ud it promotes some species that come from the dry\ud pastures and rocky walls of the surrounding ecosystems.\ud Allergenicity was revealed throughout the\ud urban area, with a prevalence of species with\ud monoporate pollens characteristic of the Poaceae.\ud Highly allergenic plants are present in the central\ud zone (within the city walls) and in some peripheral\ud land use models (urban road verges). The particular\ud abundance of Urticaceae with small triporate pollen\ud grains and of various cultivated species, introduced\ud by man for aesthetic reasons, contributes to the\ud increase of allergophytism. The study points out the\ud role of the interactions between the allergenic flora,\ud human impact through the land use patterns, urban\ud fauna, and the meso- and microclimatic conditions of\ud the cities studied
We studied the ecological characteristics of the plants of Italian cultivated land that cause allergies in sensitized individuals. Differences between the allergenic flora of annual and perennial cultivations were found. Prevalence of annual therophytes was found in seasonal and annual crops subjected to soil tillage and to strong human disturbance. Plants growing in stable, moderately disturbed cultivations (citrus and olive groves, vineyards) were more often perennials. Allergenic species dispersed by wind and those endowed with multiple dispersal strategies (polychory) were well represented in seasonal and annual crops. The moderate height of these cultivations facilitates circulation of air, favouring the diffusion of anemochoric plants, which explains the abundance of the Poaceae and the Asteraceae families. The spreading of some allochthonous invasive allergenic species was ascertained. The entrance of allergenic plants from surrounding natural ecosystems increases the overall allergenicity of Italian cultivations. The results obtained pointed out a strong relationship between allergenic flora, human impact, and the structure of the cultivations. They point out the importance of knowledge about the ecological characteristics of the allergenic flora infesting the cultivations, which enables efficacious control of the diffusion of the most dangerous species.
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