Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: . Biogenic aerosols are relevant for the Earth system, climate, and public health on local, regional, and global scales. Up to now, however, little is known about the diversity and biogeography of airborne microorganisms. We present the first DNA-based analysis of airborne fungi on global scales, showing pronounced geographic patterns and boundaries. In particular we found that the ratio of species richness between Basidiomycota and Ascomycota is much higher in continental air than in marine air. This may be an important difference between the "blue ocean" and "green ocean" regimes in the formation of clouds and precipitation, for which fungal spores can act as nuclei. Our findings also suggest that air flow patterns and the global atmospheric circulation are important for the evolution of microbial ecology and for the understanding of global changes in biodiversity.
Source: Biogeosciences
Institutions: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, National Tsing Hua University, Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, Environmental Protection Agency, Arizona State University, University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, University of Puerto Rico System, Universidade de São Paulo, Ruhr University Bochum, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,628
OpenAlex ID: W2108885660