Expansion and aerobiology of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. in Slovakia

Abstract

Introduction and objective. The invasive alien species Ambrosia artemisiifolia cause environmental, agronomical and medical problems in many regions of the world, including Slovakia. The purpose of this study was to survey the spread and distribution of this species in Slovakia and to analyse its airborne pollen pattern. Materials and methods. To evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of Ambrosia invasion in the territory of Slovakia, herbarium specimens, published databases and field investigations were considered. Aerobiological sampling was based on the analysis of pollen records at five aerobiological stations in Slovakia. For Bratislava and Banská Bystrica Monitoring stations, trends in Ambrosia pollen seasons were determined using Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator. Results. Since the first record of A. artemisiifolia in Slovakia, the number of its colonies and its spread rate has increased considerably, and the colonisation of this species has been successful mainly in the southwestern part of the country. Highest airborne pollen counts were recorded in Nitra, Trnava and Bratislava Monitoring Stations situated in the areas most infested by A. artemisiifolia in Slovakia. However, high pollen counts were also noted in Banská Bystrica and Košice Monitoring Stations situated in areas where the source species was less abundant. During the study period, the number of days on which the pollen concentration exceeded the threshold of sensitivity increased significantly (+1.33 days/year) in Banská Bystrica, whereas the peak value decreased significantly (-13.37 pollen/year) in Bratislava. Conclusion. The number of the populations of A. artemisiifolia has increased considerably in recent years. Besides the most infested areas, high airborne pollen counts were also recorded in territories where the plant species was less abundant. During the study period, the intensity of Ambrosia pollen seasons decreased in Bratislava, probably due to changes in landuse practices, while the increasing trend in the pollen seasons intensity in Banská Bystrica mainly reflects the situation in the ragweed-infested remote areas due to long-range pollen transport.

Drivers of Ambrosia artemisiifolia abundance in arable fields along the Austrian-Hungarian border

“…These factors might also have influenced the spread of ragweed. Road networks, for example, have become denser and internal traffic and transportation have also increased in the whole of central Europe (Milakovic et al 2014, Essl et al 2015, Hrabovský et al 2016, Skálová et al 2017. Thus, A. artemisiifolia might also have spread rapidly along the highways connecting the highly infested Austrian lowlands with the area studied, especially routes A2 and A4.…”

Ambrosia artemisiifolia in the Czech Republic

“…The Czech Republic has more records from railway corridors and there was about a 10-year delay in the start of the rapid spread along roads. These routes seem to have become the main transport pathway of A. artemisiifolia in the Czech Republic just as in other central-European countries (Vitalos & Karrer 2009, Jolly et al 2011, Medvecká et al 2012, Milakovic et al 2014, Essl et al 2015b, Hrabovský et al 2016, Milakovic & Karrer 2016. The situation may be similar to Slovakia where the number of ragweed records started to increase markedly around 2010, namely along highways and main roads (Hrabovský et al 2016).…”

“…These routes seem to have become the main transport pathway of A. artemisiifolia in the Czech Republic just as in other central-European countries (Vitalos & Karrer 2009, Jolly et al 2011, Medvecká et al 2012, Milakovic et al 2014, Essl et al 2015b, Hrabovský et al 2016, Milakovic & Karrer 2016. The situation may be similar to Slovakia where the number of ragweed records started to increase markedly around 2010, namely along highways and main roads (Hrabovský et al 2016). The spatiotemporal pattern in the Czech Republic also supports the view of reported long-distance dispersal as a contaminant of crops or bird feed, direct transport of contaminated litter or soil or attached to construction-or agricultural machinery (Bullock et al 2012).…”

Changes in presence of alien species in the ruderal vegetation of a representative ecosystem in a major city over 30 years: a case study from Bratislava

“…S4). The species Ambrosia artemisiifolia, with a short life cycle, is able to survive and reproduce in the extreme conditions of these habitats [46], therefore the probability of its presence in such niches is higher than for other invasive species.…”