Seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time
Compared to soil or aquatic ecosystems, the atmosphere is still an underexplored environment for microbial diversity. In this study, we surveyed the composition, variability and sources of microbes (bacteria and fungi) in the near surface atmosphere of a highly populated area, spanning ~ 4,000 Km2 a...
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doaj-4c2e935446b84f2a9064e9cf56e63ad62021-03-05T04:26:05ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202021-05-01150106423Seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and timeAndrés Núñez0Ana M. García1Diego A. Moreno2Raúl Guantes3Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM), Madrid, Spain; Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, SpainEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM), Madrid, SpainEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM), Madrid, Spain; Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (FF-UCLM), Albacete, Spain; Corresponding authors at: Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM), Madrid, Spain (D.A. Moreno). Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science Institute ‘Nicolás Cabrera’, Science Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (R. Guantes).Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science Institute ‘Nicolás Cabrera’, Science Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Institute for Condensed Matter Physics (IFIMAC), Science Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Corresponding authors at: Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM), Madrid, Spain (D.A. Moreno). Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science Institute ‘Nicolás Cabrera’, Science Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (R. Guantes).Compared to soil or aquatic ecosystems, the atmosphere is still an underexplored environment for microbial diversity. In this study, we surveyed the composition, variability and sources of microbes (bacteria and fungi) in the near surface atmosphere of a highly populated area, spanning ~ 4,000 Km2 around the city center of Madrid (Spain), in different seasonal periods along two years. We found a core of abundant bacterial genera robust across space and time, most of soil origin, while fungi were more sensitive to environmental conditions. Microbial communities showed clear seasonal patterns driven by variability of environmental factors, mainly temperature and accumulated rain, while local sources played a minor role. We also identified taxa in both groups characteristic of seasonal periods, but not of specific sampling sites or plant coverage. The present study suggests that the near surface atmosphere of urban environments contains an ecosystem stable across relatively large spatial and temporal scales, with a rather homogenous composition, modulated by climatic variations. As such, it contributes to our understanding of the long-term changes associated to the human exposome in the air of highly populated areas.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021000477Bioaerosol monitoringAirborne bacteria and fungiMetagenomicsEnvironmental factorsUrban air |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Andrés Núñez Ana M. García Diego A. Moreno Raúl Guantes |
spellingShingle |
Andrés Núñez Ana M. García Diego A. Moreno Raúl Guantes Seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time Environment International Bioaerosol monitoring Airborne bacteria and fungi Metagenomics Environmental factors Urban air |
author_facet |
Andrés Núñez Ana M. García Diego A. Moreno Raúl Guantes |
author_sort |
Andrés Núñez |
title |
Seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time |
title_short |
Seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time |
title_full |
Seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time |
title_fullStr |
Seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time |
title_sort |
seasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Environment International |
issn |
0160-4120 |
publishDate |
2021-05-01 |
description |
Compared to soil or aquatic ecosystems, the atmosphere is still an underexplored environment for microbial diversity. In this study, we surveyed the composition, variability and sources of microbes (bacteria and fungi) in the near surface atmosphere of a highly populated area, spanning ~ 4,000 Km2 around the city center of Madrid (Spain), in different seasonal periods along two years. We found a core of abundant bacterial genera robust across space and time, most of soil origin, while fungi were more sensitive to environmental conditions. Microbial communities showed clear seasonal patterns driven by variability of environmental factors, mainly temperature and accumulated rain, while local sources played a minor role. We also identified taxa in both groups characteristic of seasonal periods, but not of specific sampling sites or plant coverage. The present study suggests that the near surface atmosphere of urban environments contains an ecosystem stable across relatively large spatial and temporal scales, with a rather homogenous composition, modulated by climatic variations. As such, it contributes to our understanding of the long-term changes associated to the human exposome in the air of highly populated areas. |
topic |
Bioaerosol monitoring Airborne bacteria and fungi Metagenomics Environmental factors Urban air |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021000477 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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