Fluorescent biological aerosol particle measurements at a tropical high-altitude site in southern India during the southwest monsoon season

An ultraviolet aerodynamic particle sizer (UV-APS) was continuously operated for the first time during two seasons to sample the contrasting winds during monsoon and winter to characterize the properties of fluorescent biological aerosol particles (FBAPs), at a high-altitude site in India. Averaged over the entire monsoon campaign (1 June–21 August 2014), the arithmetic mean number and mass concentrations of coarse-mode (> 1 µm) FBAPs were 0.02 cm−3 and 0.24 µg m−3, respectively, which corresponded to  ∼  2 and 6 % of total aerosol loading, respectively. Average FBAP number size distribution exhibited a peak at  ∼  3 µm, which is attributed to the fungal spores, as supported by scanning …

Primary biological aerosol particles in the atmosphere: a review

Atmospheric aerosol particles of biological origin are a very diverse group of biological materials and structures, including microorganisms, dispersal units, fragments and excretions of biological organisms. In recent years, the impact of biological aerosol particles on atmospheric processes has been studied with increasing intensity, and a wealth of new information and insights has been gained. This review outlines the current knowledge on major categories of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP): bacteria and archaea, fungal spores and fragments, pollen, viruses, algae and cyanobacteria, biological crusts and lichens and others like plant or animal fragments and detritus. We give a…

Microbiology and atmospheric processes: biological, physical and chemical characterization of aerosol particles

Abstract. The interest in bioaerosols has traditionally been linked to health hazards for humans, animals and plants. However, several components of bioaerosols exhibit physical properties of great significance for cloud processes, such as ice nucleation and cloud condensation. To gain a better understanding of their influence on climate, it is therefore important to determine the composition, concentration, seasonal fluctuation, regional diversity and evolution of bioaerosols. In this paper, we will review briefly the existing techniques for detection, quantification, physical and chemical analysis of biological particles, attempting to bridge physical, chemical and biological methods for …

Northern Hemisphere forests at temperate and boreal latitudes are substantial pollen contributors to atmospheric bioaerosols

Abstract Forest pollen is a heavy contributor to atmospheric bioaerosols during spring months. This is important because bioaerosols make up 25% of the atmospheric aerosols shaping cloud formation, precipitation and ultimately climate. To test this premise, we drew from available literature, a meta-analysis of 25 forest pollen reports and a comparative analysis of Zea mays versus Pinus taeda pollen. Using available literature, we showed forest pollen grains are not too large or too few in the atmosphere and that some types are prone to bursting into subpollen particles (SPP). High forest pollen concentrations were consistent in the meta-analysis of 25 forest pollen reports from 1937 to 2014…

Quantitative DNA Analyses for Airborne Birch Pollen

Birch trees produce large amounts of highly allergenic pollen grains that are distributed by wind and impact human health by causing seasonal hay fever, pollen-related asthma, and other allergic diseases. Traditionally, pollen forecasts are based on conventional microscopic counting techniques that are labor-intensive and limited in the reliable identification of species. Molecular biological techniques provide an alternative approach that is less labor-intensive and enables identification of any species by its genetic fingerprint. A particularly promising method is quantitative Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), which can be used to determine the number of DNA copies and thus poll…

Lifestyle dependent occurrence of airborne fungi

Abstract. Fungi play important roles in the environment, agriculture, and human health. Most fungal species spread by wind-driven dispersal of spores, determining their occurrence and distribution in different environments. The dynamics of airborne fungi and their dependence on lifestyle and environmental conditions, however, are not well characterized. Here, we categorize the fungi detected in coarse and fine aerosol samples from continental boundary layer air using a lifestyle classification scheme that differentiates whether the fungi are (A) primarily associated to herbaceous or woody plants and (B), whether they are saprophytic, plant pathogenic, or surface inhabitants. Herbaceous fung…

Palaeolithic dogs and Pleistocene wolves revisited: a reply to Morey (2014)

This is a reply to the comments of Morey (2014) on our identification of Palaeolithic dogs from several European Palaeolithic sites. In his comments Morey (2014) presents some misrepresentations and misunderstandings that we remedy here. In contrast to what Morey (2014) propounds, our results suggest that the domestication of the wolf was a long process that started early in the Upper Palaeolithic and that since that time two sympatric canid morphotypes can be seen in Eurasian sites: Pleistocene wolves and Palaeolithic dogs. Contrary to Morey (2014), we are convinced that the study of this domestication process should be multidisciplinary.

Metaproteomic analysis of atmospheric aerosol samples.

Metaproteomic analysis of air particulate matter provides information about the abundance and properties of bioaerosols in the atmosphere and their influence on climate and public health. We developed and applied efficient methods for the extraction and analysis of proteins from glass fiber filter samples of total, coarse, and fine particulate matter. Size exclusion chromatography was applied to remove matrix components, and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was applied for protein fractionation according to molecular size, followed by in-gel digestion and LC-MS/MS analysis of peptides using a hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap MS. Maxquant software and the Swiss-…

Community composition and seasonal changes of archaea in coarse and fine air particulate matter

Archaea are ubiquitous in terrestrial and marine environments and play an important role in biogeochemical cycles. Although air acts as the primary medium for their dispersal among different habitats, their diversity and abundance is not well characterized. The main reason for this lack of insight is that archaea are difficult to culture, seem to be low in number in the atmosphere, and have so far been difficult to detect even with molecular genetic approaches. However, to better understand the transport, residence time, and living conditions of microorganisms in the atmosphere as well as their effects on the atmosphere and vice versa, it is essential to study all groups of bioaerosols. Her…

Species Richness, rRNA Gene Abundance, and Seasonal Dynamics of Airborne Plant-Pathogenic Oomycetes

Oomycetes, also named Peronosporomycetes, are one of the most important and widespread groups of plant pathogens, leading to significant losses in the global agricultural productivity. They have been studied extensively in ground water, soil, and host plants, but their atmospheric transport vector is not well characterized. In this study, the occurrence of airborne Oomycetes was investigated by Sanger sequencing and quantitative PCR of coarse and fine aerosol particle samples (57 filter pairs) collected over a 1-year period (2006–2007) and full seasonal cycle in Mainz, Germany. In coarse particulate matter, we found 55 different hypothetical species (OTUs), of which 54 were plant pathogens …

Corrigendum: Species Richness, rRNA Gene Abundance, and Seasonal Dynamics of Airborne Plant-Pathogenic Oomycetes

Bioaerosols in the Earth system: Climate, health, and ecosystem interactions

Abstract Aerosols of biological origin play a vital role in the Earth system, particularly in the interactions between atmosphere, biosphere, climate, and public health. Airborne bacteria, fungal spores, pollen, and other bioparticles are essential for the reproduction and spread of organisms across various ecosystems, and they can cause or enhance human, animal, and plant diseases. Moreover, they can serve as nuclei for cloud droplets, ice crystals, and precipitation, thus influencing the hydrological cycle and climate. The sources, abundance, composition, and effects of biological aerosols and the atmospheric microbiome are, however, not yet well characterized and constitute a large gap i…

Palaeolithic dogs and the early domestication of the wolf: a reply to the comments of Crockford and Kuzmin (2012)

This is a response to the comments of Crockford and Kuzmin (2012) on our identification of Palaeolithic dogs from different European Palaeolithic sites. In their comments Crockford and Kuzmin (2012) present some errors, misunderstandings and misrepresentations that we remedy here. In our opinion, the early wolf domestication must be regarded as an intimate relationship between humans and canids including the breeding of the latter by prehistoric people, resulting in the European Palaeolithic dogs.