Application of redundancy analysis for aerobiological data.

Area of Science:

• Aerobiology
• Environmental Science
• Mycology

Background:

• Allergenic fungal spores are significant airborne allergens.
• Understanding their environmental drivers is crucial for public health.
• Long-term monitoring provides robust data for analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between fungal spore concentrations and meteorological parameters.
• To identify environmental factors influencing the abundance of specific fungal genera.
• To explore patterns in fungal spore distribution and their potential for forecasting.

Main Methods:

• A five-year aerobiological survey (2006-2010) in Worcester, England.
• Measurement of 20 allergenic fungal spore types using volumetric spore traps.
• Statistical analysis including redundancy analysis and Spearman's rank correlation to assess environmental influences.

Main Results:

• Redundancy analysis identified key meteorological factors affecting fungal spore abundance.
• Spearman's rank correlation offered insights into fungal biology and environmental preferences.
• Identification of auto-correlated variables using variance inflation factor for robust modeling.

Conclusions:

• Meteorological conditions significantly impact the concentration and distribution of allergenic fungal spores.
• The study provides a foundation for developing predictive models for airborne fungal allergens.
• Further research can refine forecasting by incorporating identified environmental drivers.