Correlation of spring spore concentrations and meteorological conditions in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Different spore types are abundant in the atmosphere depending on the weath er conditions. Ascospores generally follow precipitation, while spore types such as Atternaria and Cladosporium are abundant in dry conditions. This p roject attempted to correlate fungal spore concentrations with meteorologic al data from Tulsa, Oklahoma during May 1998 and May 1999, Air samples were collected and analyzed by the 12-traverse method. The spore types included were Cladosporium, Alternaria, Epicoccum, Curvularia, Pithomyces, Drechsle ra. smut spores, ascospores, basidiospores, and other spores. Weather varia bles included precipitation levels, temperature, dew point, air pressure. w ind speed, wind direction and wind gusts. There were over 242.57 mm of rain fall in May 1999 and only 64.01 mm in May 1998. The most abundant spore typ es during May 1998 and May 1999 were Cladosporium, ascospores, and basidios pores. Results showed that there were significant differences in the dry-ai r spora between May 1998 and May 1999. There were twice as many Cladosporiu m in May 1998 as in May 1999; both ascospores and basidiospores showed litt le change. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which meteoro logical variables influenced spore concentrations. Results showed that ther e was no single model for all spore types. Different combinations of factor s were predictors of concentration for the various fungi examined: however. temperature and dew point seemed to be the most important meteorological f actors.