Summary Dispersal is a key process driving local‐scale community assembly and global‐scale biogeography of plant symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities. A trait‐based approach could improve predictions regarding how AM fungal aerial dispersal varies by species. We conducted month‐long collections of aerial AM fungi for 12 consecutive months in an urban mesic environment at heights of 20 m. We measured morphological functional traits of collected spores and assessed aerial AM fungal community structure both morphologically and with high‐throughput sequencing. Large numbers of AM fungal spores were present in the air over the course of 1 yr, and these spores exhibited traits that facilitate aerial dispersal. Measured aerial spores were smaller than average for Glomeromycotinan fungi. Trait‐based predictions indicate that nearly one third of described species from diverse genera demonstrate the potential for aerial dispersal. Diversity of aerial AM fungi was relatively high (20 spore species and 17 virtual taxa), and both spore abundance and community structure shifted temporally. The prevalence of aerial dispersal in AM fungi is perhaps greater than previously indicated, and a hypothesized model of AM fungal aerial dispersal mechanisms is presented. Anthropogenic soil impacts may liberate AM fungal propagules initiating the dispersal of ruderal species.

44 45 are important determinants of AM fungal community structure, but stochastic processes like 53 dispersal can also influence AM fungal community structure and biogeographic patterns 54 (Chaudhary et al., 2008; Nielsen et al., 2016). Knowledge regarding AM fungal dispersal 55 mechanisms aids in the further incorporation of filamentous fungi into classic movement 56 ecology models (Bielčik et al., 2019). Furthermore, an improved understanding of AM fungal 57 dispersal, and how it may vary among species, improves our ability to manage mycorrhizal 58 symbioses in both natural and managed ecosystems (Hart et al., 2018). For example, efforts to 59 restore native mycorrhizal populations in anthropogenically disturbed soils could theoretically 60 focus on species with limited dispersal capabilities, but such efforts require species-specific 61 data on AM fungal dispersal to inform predictions. 62 Trait-based approaches are increasingly being utilized in ecology to shift from 63 descriptive to predictive work (Messier et al., 2010). Spores, the primary reproductive 64 propagule for AM fungi, differ among species with respect to a suite of quantifiable 65 morphological traits (e.g. intrinsic properties) that likely influence movement and dispersal 66 capabilities. Arbuscular mycorrhizas notoriously form the largest single-cell fungal spores on 67 Earth, with some species measuring larger than 1 mm in diameter and visible to the naked eye 68 (Nicolson & Schenck, 1979). However, different species form spores up to two orders of 69 magnitude smaller and, for a comparatively species-poor group, interspecific variation in AM 70 fungal spore size is considerable (Aguilar-Trigueros et al., 2018). Because spore size, to an 71 extent, can be proportional to aerial dispersal predictors such as settling velocity (Kauserud et 72 al., 2008; Norros et al., 2014), it could be a useful trait for making predictions regarding AM 73 fungal dispersal. Other spore traits, such as surface ornamentation or color may also influence 74 AM fungal aerial dispersal; species-specific pits or projections in spore surfaces could affect 75 fluid drag (Roper et al., 2008) and differences in the degree of spore melanization could be 76 linked to stress tolerances such as UV radiation during aerial movement (Deveautour et al., 77 2019). Patterns in fungal traits observed in aerially dispersed AM fungi have the potential to 78 bring increased insight into predictions regarding which species or groups of species are more 79 likely to disperse by wind or long distances. 80 128 symbioses can vary as fungal communities shift, studying AM fungal dispersal in cities has 129implications for efforts to improve urban sustainability (Chaudhary et al., 2019). We also 130 compare the measured traits of aerial spores to known traits for all described AM fungi present 131 in the FUN FUN fungal functional trait database (Zanne et al., 2019). We predict that aerial AM 132 fungal spores will possess traits more conducive to wind dispersal such as a sm...

Globally, thousands of institutions house nearly three billion scientific collections offering unparallelled resources that contribute to both science and society. For herbaria alone - facilities housing dried plant collections - there are over 3,000 herbaria worldwide with an estimated 350 million specimens that have been collected over the past four centuries. Digitisation has greatly enhanced the use of herbarium data in scientific research, impacting diverse research areas, including biodiversity informatics, global climate change, analyses using next-generation sequencing technologies and many others. Despite the entrance of herbaria into a new era with enhanced scientific, educational and societal relevance, museum specimens remain underused. Natural history museums can enhance learning and engagement in science, particularly for school-age and undergraduate students. Here, we outline a novel approach of a natural history museum using touchscreen technology that formed part of an interactive kiosk in a temporary museum exhibit on biological specimens. We provide some preliminary analysis investigating the efficacy of the tool, based on the Zooniverse platform, in an exhibit environment to engage patrons in the collection of biological data. We conclude there is great potential in using crowd‐sourced science, coupled with online technology to unlock data and information from digital images of natural history specimens themselves. Sixty percent of the records generated by community scientists (citizen scientists) were of high enough quality to be utilised by researchers. All age groups produced valid, high quality data that could be used by researchers, including children (10 and under), teens and adults. Significantly, the paper outlines the implementation of experiential learning through an undergraduate mathematics course that focuses on projects with actual data to gain a deep, practical knowledge of the subject, including observations, the collection of data, analysis and problem solving. We here promote an intergenerational model including children, high school students, undergraduate students, early career scientists and senior scientists, combining experiential learning, museum patrons, researchers and data derived from natural history collections. Natural history museums with their dual remit of education and collections-based research can play a significant role in the field of community engagement and people-powered research. There also remains much to investigate on the use of interactive displays to help learners interpret and appreciate authentic research. We conclude with a brief insight into the next phase of our ongoing people-powered research activities developed and designed by high school students using the Zooniverse platform.

Globally, thousands of institutions house nearly three billion scientific collections offering unparalleled resources that contribute to both science and society. For herbaria alone - facilities housing dried plant collections - there are over 3,000 herbaria worldwide with an estimated 350 million specimens that have been collected over the past four centuries. Digitization has greatly enhanced the use of herbarium data in scientific research, impacting diverse research areas, including biodiversity informatics, global climate change, analyses using next-generation sequencing technologies, and many others. Despite the entrance of herbaria into a new era with enhanced scientific, educational, and societal relevance, museum specimens remain underused. Natural history museums can enhance learning and engagement in science, particularly for school-age and undergraduate students. Here we outline a novel approach of a natural history museum using touchscreen technology that formed part of an interactive kiosk in a temporary museum exhibit on biological specimens. We provide some preliminary analysis investigating the efficacy of the tool, based on the Zooniverse platform, in an exhibit environment to engage patrons in the collection of biological data. We conclude there is great potential in using crowd‐sourced science coupled with online technology to unlock data and information from digital images of natural history specimens themselves. Sixty percent of the records generated by community scientists (citizen scientists) were of high enough quality to be utilized by researchers. All age groups produced valid, high quality data that could be used by researchers, including children (10 and under), teens, and adults. Significantly, the paper outlines the implementation of experiential learning through an undergraduate mathematics course that focuses on projects with actual data to gain a deep, practical knowledge of the subject, including observations, the collection of data, analysis, and problem solving. We here promote an intergenerational model including children, high school students, undergraduate students, early career scientists and senior scientists, combining experiential learning, museum patrons, researchers, and data derived from natural history collections. Natural history museums with their dual remit of education and collections-based research can play a significant role in the field of  community engagement and people-powered research. There also remains much to investigate on the use of interactive displays to help learners interpret and appreciate authentic research.