title: A 10-year study ofAlternariaandCladosporiumin two Polish cities (Szczecin and Cracow) and relationship with the meteorological parameters.
abstract: AlternariaandCladosporiumspores belong to the most frequent and allergenic particles in bioaerosol in the temperate climate. The investigation ofAlternariaandCladosporiumspore concentrations was performed in two cities in Poland, Szczecin and Cracow, in 2004-2013. The meteorological parameters taken to assess their impact on fungal spores were average, maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity and average wind velocity. In order to reveal whether changes in dynamics of spore seasons are driven by meteorological conditions, ordination methods were applied. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to explore redundancy among the predictors (meteorological parameters). Prior to ordination analyses, the data were log(x)-transformed. Concentrations ofAlternariaandCladosporiumspores were significantly higher in Szczecin comparing to Cracow, but it was also observed the decreasing trend in the spore concentrations in Szczecin. As regards temperature, it was higher in Cracow and was still increasing in the studied years. Relative humidity and wind velocity were significantly lower in Cracow. In Szczecin meteorological conditions did not explain changes in spore season characteristics (insignificant redundancy analysis models), while in Cracow's redundancy analysis models indicated that spore season parameters were in over 40 % determined by meteorological conditions, mainly air temperature and wind velocity. If they increase, the peak value, total number of spores and their average concentrations in a season will also increase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Taxonomy and Phytogeography, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grinn-Gofroń
authors.affiliation: Department of Process Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strzelczak
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stępalska
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Environmental Allergology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Myszkowska
keywords: Fungi spores; Meteorological parameters; Ordination method; Spore season; Temporal trend aerobiological monitoring