Evolution has encouraged numerous reproductive strategies throughout the spectrum of life. From lion’s teeth to giraffes, nature finds the way. One of those ways generates a lot of suffering for humans: The pollen, The infamous male gametophyte of the plant kingdom.
Even people who are not allergic to pollen may experience sneezing and tear during the liberation of trees pollen every spring. A sufficient amount of particles in the air can irritate almost any person, even if the immune system is not active thoroughly.
So why is there so much pollen? And why does it seem to get worse?
Two ways in which trees spread their pollen
The trees do not have it easy in the reproductive process, the two options to disperse your Polenson:
Use an agent, such as a butterfly or a bee, that can transport pollen to another plant of the same species. The disadvantage of this option is that you must invest in a colorful exhibition of flowers and a sweet aroma to advertise you, and sugary nectar to pay your agent for their services.
This option is cheaper but is less accurate: Take advantage of the wind free.
The wind was the original pollinizer, evolving long before animal -mediated pollination. The wind does not need a colorful flower or a nectar reward. What does need for pollination to succeed is a large amount of light and small diameter pollen.
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Why the pollen transported by the wind worsens the allergies?
The wind is not an efficient pollinizer, the probability that a pollen grain falls into the right place is infinitesimally small. Therefore, wind pollinated trees must compensate for this inefficiency producing large amounts of pollen, and it must be light enough to be transported.
For allergic people, that can mean air full of microscopic pollen grains that can enter the eyes, throat and lungs, sneak through mosquito nets and convince the immune system that they have inhaled a dangerous intruder.
On the other hand, plants that depend on animal pollination can produce more dense and sticky pollen that adheres to the body of an insect. So you don’t blame bees for your allergies; Actually, it is the wind.
Climate change plays an important role
Plants begin pollen release depending on various factors, such as temperature and light. Many of our tree species of temperate zones respond to the signals that announce the beginning of spring, such as the warmest temperatures.
Several studies have shown that pollen seasons have intensified in the last three decades with climate warming. A study that examined 60 locations in North America revealed that pollen seasons extended an average of 20 days between 1990 and 2018, and that pollen concentrations increased by 21%.
And that is not all, the increase in carbon dioxide levels could also be promoting the increase in the amount of pollen of the trees produced.
In southeastern United States, strong wind storms are becoming more common and more intense, and not just hurricanes.
Anyone who has lived in the southeast during the last two decades has probably noticed it. The region records more tornado alerts, more severe thunderstorms and more electricity cuts. This is especially true in the center-south, from Mississippi to Alabama.
Since the wind is the pollen vector in the air, the stronger wind conditions can also aggravate the allergies. The pollen remains in the air for a longer time in windy days and travels further.
In addition, the increase in stormy activity could be causing more than simple pollen transport. Storms can also fragment pollen grains, creating smaller particles that can penetrate more deeply into the lungs.
Many allergic people may notice a worsening of their allergies during storms. The peak of the season of winds and spring storms usually coincides with the release of the pollen of the trees, which stains our world of yellow.
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The effects of climate change, including longer pollen seasons and a greater release of pollen, and the corresponding changes in the windy days and the intensity of the storms, contribute to creating the perfect pollen storm.
*Christine Cairns Fortuin is an attached professor of Silviculture at Mississippi State University
This article was originally published in The Conversation
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