Study of Tree Pollen and Pollination

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2019) | Viewed by 13781

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Guest Editor
Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, College for Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Ul Rejtana 16c, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: aerobiology; disservices of urban parks; phenology of trees
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Special Issue Information

Dear Authors,

This Special Issue aims to address all of the aspects related to tree pollen and the pollination phenomenon. For us, pollen of allergenic and forest forming species are of special interest, but findings about rare, protected species are also welcome. This Issue invites studies on the pollen grains’ morphology, viability, production, release, and chemical composition; relationships between pollen production and seed production; pollen dispersal in the context of gene flow; long distance transport; and pollen forecasts. Studies on the impact of environmental factors, including anthropogenic ones, on all aspects of tree pollen and pollination, will be of particular interest. The results of field and laboratory experiments/research will be welcome. We are interested in recent advances in studies on the impact of climate change on pollination phenology; temporal variations and spatial differentiations in pollination patterns; and relationships between the course of pollination and the pollen season. Research articles may focus on modelling, application of GIS, and remote sensing methods in pollination phenology. We also encourage authors to publish results regarding the relationship between pollen fall and the vegetation of forest stands, as well as on natural and semi-natural forests as bee pollen sources.
We hope that the collected manuscripts will identify and fill the gaps in knowledge, and will also be an inspiration for further research.

Prof. Idalia Kasprzyk
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • tree pollen
  • pollination
  • pollen dispersal
  • pollen production
  • gene flow
  • bee pollen

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3565 KiB  
Article
Lidar-Derived Tree Crown Parameters: Are They New Variables Explaining Local Birch (Betula sp.) Pollen Concentrations?
by Paweł Bogawski, Łukasz Grewling, Katarzyna Dziób, Kacper Sobieraj, Marta Dalc, Barbara Dylawerska, Dominik Pupkowski, Artur Nalej, Małgorzata Nowak, Agata Szymańska, Łukasz Kostecki, Maciej M. Nowak and Bogdan Jackowiak
Forests 2019, 10(12), 1154; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10121154 - 17 Dec 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3768
Abstract
Birch trees are abundant in central and northern Europe and are dominant trees in broadleaved forests. Birches are pioneer trees that produce large quantities of allergenic pollen efficiently dispersed by wind. The pollen load level depends on the sizes and locations of pollen [...] Read more.
Birch trees are abundant in central and northern Europe and are dominant trees in broadleaved forests. Birches are pioneer trees that produce large quantities of allergenic pollen efficiently dispersed by wind. The pollen load level depends on the sizes and locations of pollen sources, which are important for pollen forecasting models; however, very limited work has been done on this topic in comparison to research on anthropogenic air pollutants. Therefore, we used highly accurate aerial laser scanning (Light Detection and Ranging—LiDAR) data to estimate the size and location of birch pollen sources in 3-dimensional space and to determine their influence on the pollen concentration in Poznań, Poland. LiDAR data were acquired in May 2012. LiDAR point clouds were clipped to birch individuals (mapped in 2012–2014 and in 2019), normalised, filtered, and individual tree crowns higher than 5 m were delineated. Then, the crown surface and volume were calculated and aggregated according to wind direction up to 2 km from the pollen trap. Consistent with LIDAR data, hourly airborne pollen measurements (performed using a Hirst-type, 7-day volumetric trap), wind speed and direction data were obtained in April 2012. We delineated 18,740 birch trees, with an average density of 14.9/0.01 km2, in the study area. The total birch crown surface in the 500–1500 m buffer from the pollen trap was significantly correlated with the pollen concentration aggregated by the wind direction (r = 0.728, p = 0.04). The individual tree crown delineation performed well (r2 ≥ 0.89), but overestimations were observed at high birch densities (> 30 trees/plot). We showed that trees outside forests substantially contribute to the total pollen pool. We suggest that including the vertical dimension and the trees outside the forest in pollen source maps have the potential to improve the quality of pollen forecasting models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study of Tree Pollen and Pollination)
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18 pages, 2475 KiB  
Article
Breeding Systems in Diploid and Polyploid Hawthorns (Crataegus): Evidence from Experimental Pollinations of C. monogyna, C. subsphaerica, and Natural Hybrids
by Dominika Vašková and Vladislav Kolarčik
Forests 2019, 10(12), 1059; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10121059 - 21 Nov 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3316
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Polyploidisation and frequent hybridisation play an important role in speciation processes and evolutionary history and have a large impact on reproductive systems in the genus Crataegus. Reproductive modes in selected diploid and polyploid taxa in eastern Slovakia were investigated [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Polyploidisation and frequent hybridisation play an important role in speciation processes and evolutionary history and have a large impact on reproductive systems in the genus Crataegus. Reproductive modes in selected diploid and polyploid taxa in eastern Slovakia were investigated and analysed for the first time. Materials and Methods: Diploid, triploid, and tetraploid hawthorns were tested for self-pollination, self-compatibility, and self-fertilisation. Pollination experiments were performed within and between diploid and triploid species to determine the possibilities and directions of pollen transfer under natural conditions. Seeds from crossing experiments and open pollinations were analysed using the flow cytometric seed screen method. Results: These experiments demonstrated that sexual reproduction, cross-pollination, and self-incompatibility are typical of the diploid species Crataegus monogyna and C. kyrtostyla. Seeds produced by self-fertile tetraploid C. subsphaerica were derived from both meiotically reduced and unreduced megagametophytes. Conclusions: Experimental results concerning triploid C. subsphaerica and C. laevigata × C. subsphaerica are ambiguous but suggest that seeds are almost exclusively created through apomixis, although a few sexually generated seeds were observed. In the genus Crataegus, pseudogamy is a common feature of polyploid taxa, as in all cases pollination is essential for regular seed development. Research Highlights: We suggest that all studied Crataegus taxa produce reduced pollen irrespective of ploidy level. Moreover, we emphasise that triploids produce apparently aneuploid pollen grains as a result of irregular meiosis. They are also capable of utilising pollen from 2x, 3x, or 4x donors for pseudogamous formation of endosperm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study of Tree Pollen and Pollination)
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13 pages, 3764 KiB  
Article
Detection and Microscopy of Alnus glutinosa Pollen Fluorescence Peculiarities
by Ingrida Šaulienė, Laura Šukienė, Gintautas Daunys, Gediminas Valiulis, Alfredas Lankauskas, Inese Kokina, Vjačeslavs Gerbreders and Inese Gavarāne
Forests 2019, 10(11), 959; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10110959 - 28 Oct 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2927
Abstract
Alnus glutinosa is an important woody plant in Lithuanian forest ecosystems. Knowledge of fluorescence properties of black alder pollen is necessary for scientific and practical purposes. By the results of the study, we aimed to evaluate possibilities of identifying Alnus glutinosa pollen fluorescence [...] Read more.
Alnus glutinosa is an important woody plant in Lithuanian forest ecosystems. Knowledge of fluorescence properties of black alder pollen is necessary for scientific and practical purposes. By the results of the study, we aimed to evaluate possibilities of identifying Alnus glutinosa pollen fluorescence properties by modeling ozone effect and applying two different fluorescence-based devices. To implement the experiments, black alder pollen was collected in a typical habitat during the annual flowering period in 2018–2019. There were three groups of experimental variants, which differed in the duration of exposure to ozone, conditions of pollen storage before the start of the experiment, and the exposure time. Data for pollen fluorescence analysis were collected using two methods. The microscopy method was used in order to evaluate the possibility of employing image analysis systems for investigation of pollen fluorescence. The second data collection method is related to an automatic device identifying pollen in real time, which uses the fluorescence method in the pollen recognition process. Data were assessed employing image analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) methods. Digital images of ozone-exposed pollen observed under the fluorescence microscope showed the change of the dominant green colour toward the blue spectrum. Meanwhile, the automatic detector detects more pollen whose fluorescence is at the blue light spectrum. It must be noted that assessing pollen fluorescence several months after exposure to ozone, no effect of ozone on fluorescence remains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study of Tree Pollen and Pollination)
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10 pages, 2135 KiB  
Article
Floral Structure and Breeding Systems of Manglietia conifera Dandy (Magnoliaceae)
by Jian Hao, Liqin Pan, Hongyan Jia, Qingbin Jiang, Qilong Pan, Khongsak Pinyopusarerk and Antoine Kalinganire
Forests 2019, 10(9), 756; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10090756 - 3 Sep 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2996
Abstract
Manglietia conifera Dandy is a fast-growing tree species that has been introduced to China from Vietnam, which has great potential for commercial planting. However, plantation development is hindered by a lack of seed material, due to low natural seed-set in locally grown trees. [...] Read more.
Manglietia conifera Dandy is a fast-growing tree species that has been introduced to China from Vietnam, which has great potential for commercial planting. However, plantation development is hindered by a lack of seed material, due to low natural seed-set in locally grown trees. Thus, we investigated the morphological characteristics of male and female flower organs, and conducted controlled pollination to understand the breeding systems of the species. The individual flower of M. conifera is bisexual, and the stamen group is polymerized at the base of the receptacle. Pollen is symmetrically distributed on both sides. Controlled pollination suggests that apomixis does not occur in M. conifera. Results from the flower structure, pollen–ovule ratio, outcrossing index, and controlled pollination indicated that the breeding system in M. conifera was outcrossing (partially self-compatible, pollinators required), and self-incompatibility occurred in a later stage of embryonic development. Moreover, the self-incompatibility phenomenon was revealed by the abnormal germination of pollen on the stigma. This paper provides a basis for controlled pollination programs of M. conifera. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study of Tree Pollen and Pollination)
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