Pollen Monitoring and Current Techniques in Aerobiology: An Update

Pollen monitoring is an integral part of aerobiology. The analysis of pollen content in the air, which is its core routine work, requires reliable devices. The continuous evolution of technology prompted us to give an update on current techniques used in pollen monitoring to provide a historical overview and an outlook into the future. Standard works in aerobiology and the most important literature were incorporated to summarize the development of pollen monitoring technology. We span a range from the first description of pollen monitoring in the 1870s, the invention of simple devices by early researchers, onwards to the development of the first volumetric samplers, such as the Rotorod- or Hirst-type traps. While volumetric devices are widely used in the USA and in Europe today, automatic and near-real-time pollen monitoring play an increasing role and offer new possibilities. In contrast to volumetric methods, most of these still require validation and standardization. Other methods, like the analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) and the modeling of historical pollen data for pollination forecasts, are outlined. Aerobiology and pollen monitoring will continue to benefit from technological advances and be re-shaped in the next decades.