Format: ORAL

Franziska Zemmer1,2, Antonella Cristofori1,2, Fabiana Cristofolini1, Elena Gottardini1,2

1 Environmental Botany Unit, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all' Adige , Italy 2 National Biodiversity Future Centre, Palermo, Italy

Pollen as a proxy for plant diversity helps to interpret vegetation and/or to model vegetation shifts under climate change scenarios.Within the BIOALPEC project Biodiversity in Alpine Ecosystems, we investigate the qualitative-quantitative input of pollen and spores on the bioaerosol of high altitudes exploring implications for ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. Here we present how the local flora and surrounding vegetation are sources of the bioaerosol at alpine receptor sites in Trentino, Italy. The methodology applied involves floristic studies and bioaerosol sampling with passive gravitational traps. We surveyed the flora at different local scales starting from the aerobiological sampler: i) within a circle of 10 m radius; ii) in 5 randomized 2 x 2 m plots within a circle of 100 m radius; iii) along a transect of 1000 m x 2 m. The bioaerosol was analyzed by microscopy and eDNA metabarcoding. Microscopic analysis permits the identification and quantification of pollen, while molecular analysis goes beyond morphological identification allowing for deeper taxonomic resolution and, thus, biodiversity assessment.  Results of floristic studies indicate the presence of Italian endemic species, including Anthyllis vulneraria subsp. alpestris, Galium baldense, Knautia baldensis; and alpine endemits such as Primula daonensis; Eritrichium nanum, Arabis caerulea, Alchemilla pentaphyllea, Achillea erba-rotta subsp moschata, Adenostyles leucophylla, and Bupleurum stellatum. The bioaerosol analysis will verify the presence of pollen from endemic species in alpine ecosystems. Complementing floristic data with the results from optical microscopy and eDNA will be a step forward in exploring the potential of air to monitor terrestrial plant biodiversity. This study is conducted within the National Biodiversity Future Centre, NBFC, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR MISSION 4 COMPONENT 2, INVESTMENT 1.4 – D.D. 1034 17/06/2022, CN00000033).