Applied palynology as a trans-disciplinary science: the contribution of aerobiology data to forensic and palaeoenvironmental issues

The paper provides examples of integrated researches putting aerobiology at the centre of methodological approaches of applied palynology. Data from airborne pollen monitoring have demonstrated to be useful to obtain inferences about different environmental issues. For example, seasonality is fruitfully investigated with the help of pollen calendars. The close connection that may exist between aerobiology and forensic palynology is demonstrated by a study on airborne pollen with cytoplasm trapped by corpses; pollen calendars may be a reference tool for establishing the season of death in case of murders or other crimes. Palaeoclimate research can obtain fruitful information from studies on long-distance transport and the comparison of past spectra with the representativeness of pollen in modern spectra. Modern pollen monitoring suggests that the long-distance transport may be a routine (as Alnus viridis in the southern Po Valley) or an episodic event; the very local geomorphological and phytogeographical peculiarities of a given area must be known to interpret pollen spectra. The pollen produced by trees that have had a fundamental importance in our cultural development (Prunus, Olea and Castanea) is among the most interesting archaeobotanical topic to understand the relationship between humans and environmental resources. Sometimes, data cannot be compared because yearly sums and percentages of one taxon on the total pollen counts are not commonly reported in the aerobiological literature. Finally, the decline in Taxus pollen in a warming climate is reported among the case studies that illustrate the relevance of the aerobiological research to interpret past climate records and to study long-term climate changes.