Atmospheric Pollen in Amherst, Massachusetts

Abstract

Records of airborne pollen grains and spores [ferns, fungi] from two collection sites show the influence of the immediate vegetation. A larger number of pollen grains but fewer spores were recorded from slides exposed atop an unobstructed building than from those exposed near ground level 500 m away on a forested hillside. Some of the differences between the two sites could be explained by the proximity of the plant genera to the site having the higher number. Almost all genera were recorded at both stations, and recovery at both sites was generally parallel in time. Because of the qualitative similarities in the genera recorded at each site and the general uniformity of the local and regional floras, it was not possible to determine whether the data reflected local or regional vegetation. No record was obtained, however, that could not have been produced by the local vegetation.