Airborne pollen records and status of the anemophilous flora in arid areas of the Iberian Peninsula

a b s t r a c t This paper reports on the relationship between the airborne pollen spectrum and the status of anemophilous flora in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Variations in pollen counts with respect to data for a previous sampling period were also examined. The key finding was that the spectrum contained pollen from the most characteristic local species, such as xerophytes adapted to arid conditions, ruderal and nitrophilous species, sclerophyllous Mediterranean pine and holm-oak forest and vegetation in dry watercourses. The main variations with respect to earlier data were attributable to changes in land use, with increasing production of certain crops and a growing trend towards ecological agriculture, the introduction of allochthonous species and the recovery of local flora in dry watercourses