Heterogeneity in ragweed pollen exposure is determined by plant composition at small spatial scales

Pollen allergies are one of the most common health problems in the United States and over 20% of Americans are sensitized to the pollen produced by common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.). Despite the importance of allergenic pollen to public health, no research has linked land use and plant populations to spatial heterogeneity in airborne pollen concentrations. In order to quantify these relationships and elucidate the processes which lead to pollen exposure, we surveyed ragweed stem density in Detroit (Michigan, USA) as a function of land use. We then deployed 34 pollen collectors throughout the city and recorded ragweed cover in the immediate vicinity of each pollen collector. We found that ragweed populations were highest in vacant lots, a common land cover type in Detroit. Because ragweed population density was so strongly correlated to vacant lots, for which spatially explicit data were available, we were able to investigate whether observed ragweed pollen concentrations were a function of land use at the spatial scales of 10 m and 1 km. Both relationships were significant, and the combination of these two variables predicts a large portion of airborne ragweed pollen concentrations (R(2)=0.48). These results emphasize the important role of pollen production within the urban environment and show that management of allergenic pollen producing plants must be considered at multiple spatial scales. Our findings also demonstrate that there is too much spatial heterogeneity for a pollen collector at any given site to portray the allergenic pollen load experienced by different individuals within the same city. Finally, we discuss how spatial correlations between socio-economic status, vacant lots, and ragweed could help to explain the disproportionate amount of allergies and ragweed sensitization experienced by low income and minority populations in Detroit.