Aeropalynology of the University of Ibadan Campus, Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

The study of airborne pollen and spores from regions, communities, and campuses has gained importance in recent times in Nigeria. Aerospora sampling was carried out from November 2012 to February 2013 on the University of Ibadan campus Watch Tower. The Tower is the tallest building on the campus, with a height of 253.8 m. An Aero sampler was used to collect aeropalynomorphs from the location. The recovered residues were acetolysed and studied microscopically. Meteorological data for this location were obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) for the prevailing weather conditions. Statistical analysis using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to evaluate the relationship between airborne pollen and spores, and meteorological parameters. A variety of palynomorphs, characteristic of rainforest, secondary/open forest, savanna, and freshwater vegetation types, were recovered. The dominant ones belonged to the Arecaceae, Anacardiaceae, Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Moraceae, and Poaceae families, as well as fungal spores. Pollen counts with meteorological data revealed variations in palynomorph types and abundance, which reflected the influence of the location of the aerosampler, impact of weather parameters, and the degree of human activities, apart from the floral composition of the area. This work is the first aero sampling of the University of Ibadan campus and a contribution to the aeropalynological data of campuses across Southwest Nigeria.