Assessment of Salix spp. pollen availability to insects based on aerobiological investigations

Abstract

Pollen and nectar produced by flowers of species from the genus Salix are an important source of food for various insect groups in early spring. Most willows are entomophilous species; however, substantial amounts of airborne Salix pollen can be noted. The aim of the study was to evaluate the content of pollen of this taxon in the air of Lublin (central-east Poland) in 2001-2016 and to identify the period of its greatest availability to insects. In 2015, we compared the course of the Salix pollen season in Lublin (51°14'37" N; 22°32'25" E) and in the Roztoczanski National Park (50°34'57" N; 23°04'24" E), Poland. We found that the date of the pollen season onset fluctuated greatly between March 16 and April 17. The greatest availability of Salix pollen to insects was noted from the end of the first 10-day-period of April to the first 10-day-period of May. The mean annual sum of airborne Salix pollen grains was 833. In Lublin, Salix pollen accounted for ca. 1.25% of the total airborne pollen content of different plant taxa. The investigations have demonstrated a 2-year cycle of Salix pollen abundance. The comparison of the pollen seasons in Lublin and in the Roztoczanski National Park indicates that considerably greater amounts of pollen occur in the urban area than in the air of the Roztoczanski National Park.