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New Insights on Atmospheric Fern Spore Dynamics

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Current Advances in Fern Research

Abstract

Pteridophyte airborne spores are scarcely represented worldwide compared to fungal spores or even to pollen grains. Through different studies, 81 taxa were identified in the atmosphere from different sampling points around the world with greater number of taxa in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, America and Africa, the areas where pteridophytes have the greatest estimated diversity. Higher annual levels and higher daily concentrations were also found in these tropical and subtropical areas. Seasonal distribution of spores varied depending on the sampling site, with the highest levels in temperate areas occurring between late spring and early autumn, while in tropical and subtropical areas they were distributed throughout the year. Hourly spore concentrations were located in the central hours of the day. Airborne fern and lycopod spores generally appeared to be positively influenced by temperature and sunshine hours and negatively by rainfall, relative humidity and wind speed. The study of aerovagant spores has direct application in medicine, as a consequence of the allergenicity of some spore types, mainly in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia and in forensic palynology and criminology helping to the resolution of certain police cases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

    David Rodríguez de la Cruz, Estefanía Sánchez-Reyes, José Sánchez-Sánchez & José Ángel Sánchez-Agudo

  2. Instituto Hispano-Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias (CIALE), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

    David Rodríguez de la Cruz, Estefanía Sánchez-Reyes, José Sánchez-Sánchez & José Ángel Sánchez-Agudo

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  1. David Rodríguez de la Cruz
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  2. Estefanía Sánchez-Reyes
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  3. José Sánchez-Sánchez
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  4. José Ángel Sánchez-Agudo
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Correspondence to David Rodríguez de la Cruz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Organisms and Systems Biology, Oviedo University, Oviedo, Spain

    Helena Fernández

Annex 20.1 Key to Airborne Fern and Lycopod Spores

Annex 20.1 Key to Airborne Fern and Lycopod Spores

Spores inaperturate

Equisetum

Spores aperturate or scared

1

1a. Green spores (with chlorophyll)

1′

1b. Spores with a different colour

2

1’a. Spores with a single aperture (monolete) as a furrow

Onocleopsis

1’b. Spores with a trilete scar present

Osmunda

2a. Spores with a single aperture (monolete) as a furrow

3

2b. Spores with a trilete scar present

42

Monolete spores

3a. Kidney-shaped (or bean-shaped) spores in equatorial view

4

3b. Ellipsoidal, ovoid or spherical spores in equatorial view

12

4a. Spore surface mainly verrucate

5

4b. Spore surface with another main ornamentation

10

5a. Spore surface only verrucate

6

5b. Spore surface verrucate or with other ornamentation

7

6a. Spore surface with perispore adhering to the exospore

Polypodium

6b. Spore surface with loose perispore wall, generally of a smaller size than the previous genus (<55 μm)

Davallia

7a. Spore surface verrucate or granulate

8

7b. Spore surface verrucate, echinate or papillate

9

8a. Spore surface verrucate or granulate

Woodwardia

8b. Spore surface verrucate or granulate, some species echinate

Cystopteris

9a. Spore surface verrucate and/or echinate

Dryopteris

9b. Spore surface verrucate, papillate or rugulate

Thelypteris

10a. Spore surface reticulate or cristate

Cyclosorus

10b. Spore surface rugulate or with other ornamentation

11

11a. Spore surface rugulate forming folds with a reticular appearance

Elaphoglossum.

11b. Spore surface rugulate, granulate or reticulate, rarely wedged

Diplazium

12a. Ellipsoidal to spherical spores

13

12b. Ellipsoidal to ovoid spores

26

13a. Spore surface mainly verrucate

14

13b. Spore surface with another main ornamentation

18

14a. Spore usually yellow or translucent

15

14b. Spore not yellow or translucent

16

15a. Translucent or light yellow spores

Campyloneurum

15b. Yellow spores

Pecluma

16a. Spore surface verrucate, sometimes areolate

Phlebodium

16b. Spore surface verrucate, rugulate, echinate or reticulate

17

17a. Spore surface verrucate or rugulate

Microsorum

17b. Spore surface verrucate, echinate or reticulate

Asplenium

18a. Spore surface mainly papillate

19

18b. Spore surface no papillate

20

19a. Spore surface finely papillate

Tapeinidium

19b. Spore surface papillate or cristate

Matteuccia

20a. Spore surface mainly foveolate

21

20b. Spore surface not foveolate

22

21a. Spore surface foveolate

Lemmaphyllum

21b. Spore surface foveolate, rugulate or even psilate

Lepisorus

22a. Spore surface echinate

Ctenitis

22b. Spore surface not echinate

23

23a. Spore surface psilate, cristate, sometimes with convoluted folds

Lastreopsis

23b. Spore surface psilate, rugulate or granulate

24

24a. Spore surface psilate with globules scattered

Platycerium

24b. Spore surface not always psilate

25

25a. Spore surface psilate or rugulate

Phymatosorus

25b. Spore surface psilate or granulate

Odontosoria

26a. Spore surface mainly verrucate

27

26b. Spore surface not verrucate

34

27a. Spore surface only verrucate

Goniophlebium

27b. Spore surface verrucate or sometimes with other types of ornamentation

28

28a. Spore surface verrucate with tubercles

Nephrolepis

28b. Spore surface without tubercles

29

29a. Spore surface verrucate or echinate

30

29b. Spore surface verrucate or other ornamentation not echinate

31

30a. Spore sometimes with a folded foveolate-echinate surface

Tectaria

30b. Spore surface without a folded foveolate-echinate surface

Colysis

31a. Spore surface verrucate or reticulate

Microgramma

31b. Spore surface verrucate or other ornamentation not reticulate

32

32a. Spore surface verrucate or granulate

Pleopeltis

32b. Spore surface verrucate, rugulate or cristate

33

33a. Spore surface verrucate or rugulate

Stenochlaena

33b. Spore surface verrucate or cristate, sometimes folded

Bolbitis

34a. Spore surface mainly papillate

35

34b. Spore surface not papillate

37

35a. Spore surface only papillate

Vittaria

35b. Spore surface papillate or reticulate

36

36a. Spore surface papillate or reticulate, sometimes areolate or echinate

Polystichum

36b. Spore surface papillate or reticulate, sometimes cristate

Athyrium

37a. Spore surface sometimes echinate

38

37b. Spore surface not echinate

40

38a. Spore surface echinate, some species granulate

Drynaria

38b. Spore surface echinate, cristate or tuberculate

39

39a. Spore surface echinate or cristate

Megalastrum

39b. Spore surface echinate or tuberculate

Hypolepis

40a. Spore surface psilate with prominent perforate wing-like folds

Cyclodium

40b. Spore surface not psilate

41

41a. Spore surface reticulate or vermiculate

Phanerophlebia

41b. Spore rugulate

Blechnum

Trilete spores

42a. Spore surface with long pointed spines or granulate/verrucate sculpture (large megaspore >1000 μm)

Selaginella

42b. Spore surface without long pointed spines and/or other ornamentation

43

43a. Spore surface clearly reticulate

44

43b. Spore surface not reticulate

46

44a. Trilete scar with a thick border

Ophioglossum

44b. Trilete scar without a thick border

45

45a. Reticulum regular, sometimes with small spines

Lycopodium

45b. Reticulum irregular, occasionally near to rugulate

Lycopodiella

46a. Spore with tetrahedral/triangular shape

47

46b. Spore with rounded/globose or subtriangular shape

56

47a. Spore surface sometimes reticulate

48

47b. Spore surface not reticulate

50

48a. Spore surface reticulate, sometimes verrucate or echinate

Pteris

48b. Spore surface reticulate, granulate or psilate

49

49a. Spore surface reticulate or granulate or even psilate

Lindsaea

49b. Spore surface reticulate or granulate, never psilate

Cyathea

50a. Spore surface mainly rugulate

51

50b. Spore surface not rugulate

54

51a. Spore surface rugulate, sometimes folded, spongy in appearance

Botrychium

51b. Spore surface rugulate or psilate

52

52a. Spore surface low rugulate or psilate

Diplopterygium

52b. Spore surface only rugulate

53

53a. Spore surface only low rugulate

Dicranopteris

53b. Spore surface rugulate, sometimes cristate

Pellaea

54a. Spore surface granulate or verrucate

Microlepia

54b. Spore surface not granulate or verrucate

55

55a. Spore surface foveolate

Cnemidaria

55b. Spore surface papillate or even psilate

Alsophila

56a. Spore with rounded/globose shape

57

56b. Spore with a different shape (from rounded-subtriangular to triangular)

60

57a. Spore surface granulate

58

57b. Spore surface not granulate

59

58a. Spore surface simple granulate

Lonchitis

58b. Spore surface granulate (sometimes subtriangular shape)

Odontosoria

59a. Spore surface tuberculate

Taenitis

59b. Spore surface papillate/reticulate (large megaspore >200 μm with floats above and attached massula below containing microspores)

Azolla

60a. Spore with a rounded-subtriangular shape

61

60b. Spore with a subtriangular shape

68

61a. Spore surface with projecting rods by granulate material, more or less striate

Ceratopteris

61b. Spore surface without projecting rods

62

62a. Spore surface papillate

Vittaria

62b. Spore surface not papillate

63

63a. Spores surface granulate or reticulate

64

63b. Spore surface sometimes granulate, rarely reticulate

65

64a. Spore surface granulate or reticulate

Dicksonia

64b. Spore surface granulate or reticulate, some species cristate

Cheilanthes

65a. Spore surface granulate or verrucate, sometimes rugulate

66

65b. Spore surface granulate but never verrucate

67

66a. Spore surface granulate or verrucate

Acrostichum

66b. Spore surface finely granulate or verrucate, sometimes rugulate

Adiantum

67a. Spore surface granulate or cristate, sometimes reticulate

Notholaena

67b. Spore surface granulate, tuberculate, foveolate or even microreticulate

Lophosoria

68a. Spore surface granulate or baculate

Anemia

68b. Spore surface not granulate or baculate, mainly verrucate

69

69a. Spore surface verrucate or reticulate

Dennstaedtia

69b. Spore surface only verrucate

70

70a. Spore surface roughly verrucate

Pteridium

70b. Spore surface uniformly verrucate

Lygodium

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Rodríguez de la Cruz, D., Sánchez-Reyes, E., Sánchez-Sánchez, J., Sánchez-Agudo, J.Á. (2018). New Insights on Atmospheric Fern Spore Dynamics. In: Fernández, H. (eds) Current Advances in Fern Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75103-0_20

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