Spatiotemporal Controls on the Urban Aerobiome

Mhuireach, Gwynne; Betancourt‐Román, Clarisse M.; Green, Jessica L.; Johnson, Bart R.

doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00043

Cited by 48 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…This is in agreement with other studies showing a large influence of season (Bertolini et al, 2013;Gandolfi et al, 2015;Genitsaris et al, 2017;Lee et al, 2017;Maron et al, 2006;Woo et al, 2013). Although urbanized areas are more homogeneous in microbial composition than rural areas (Barberán et al, 2015), local sources and fine scale characteristics of the sampling site, such as plant cover, play an important role in explaining short-term variability in nearby urban locations (Fan et al, 2019;Mhuireach et al, 2016Mhuireach et al, , 2019. Therefore, we cannot rule out the influence of these local factors in our samples, which may be obscured by the effects of week-long and seasonal sampling.…”

Section: Seasonal Factors Shape Species Communitiessupporting

confidence: 91%

Temporal patterns of variability for prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity in the urban air of Madrid (Spain)

Núñez

Paz

Rastrojo

et al. 2019

Atmospheric Environment

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Although many microorganisms are ubiquitously present in the air, airborne microbial communities have been much less characterized than those in soil or aquatic environments. Besides its ecological importance, detection and monitoring of the wide diversity of these aerosolized microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi and pollen) is relevant for understanding allergy and disease outbreaks, especially in highly populated cities. In this study, we describe the simultaneous biodiversity of bacteria, fungi and plants present in the urban atmosphere of Madrid (Spain) along different seasonal periods, using DNA sequencing. Sampling in two different locations (downtown and peri-urban) we found that changes in the composition of each community are mainly driven by environmental factors, rather than by the features of the specific sampling microenvironments. While pollen particles are dominated by a few taxa characteristic of each season, bacteria and fungi show a high diversity but stable core communities along the year. The prokaryotic core is governed by soil and leaf surface bacteria, with predominance of Actinobacteria (Frankiales and Micrococcales) and Alphaproteobacteria (Sphingomonadales, Rhodobacterales, Rhizobiales and Acetobacterales). Fungal diversity is characterized by the steady presence of members of Capnodiales and Pleosporales. Pathogenic bacterial and fungal taxa were also detected across the year. We also correlated the airborne biodiversity with environmental variables. Air temperature has a strong influence on the community composition of bacteria, while pollen and fungi seasonal variations are mainly correlated with precipitation. Our results contribute to the characterization of airborne prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities in urban areas and show the suitability of this method for biosurveillance strategies.

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Section: Seasonal Factors Shape Species Communitiessupporting

confidence: 91%

Temporal patterns of variability for prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity in the urban air of Madrid (Spain)

Núñez

Paz

Rastrojo

et al. 2019

Atmospheric Environment

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“…The microbiome in the near surface atmosphere can be influenced by changes both from nearby sources and from environmental factors [1,21,40,67,73,74]. As a first characterization of diversity across space and time, we estimated two alpha-diversity indicators for each sample: number of taxa (richness, Chao 1 index [75]) and similarity in species relative abundance (evenness, Pielou's index [62]) (Methods).…”

Section: Seasonal Features Modulate Microbial Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Changes of the Airborne Microbiome in a Large Urban Area

Núñez¹,

Moreno²,

García³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background Compared to soil or aquatic ecosystems, the atmosphere is still an underexplored environment for microbial diversity. Besides its ecological importance, the spatial and temporal characterization of aerosolized microorganisms is relevant for understanding allergy and disease outbreaks, especially in highly populated cities. Results 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 Km 2 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 kingdoms characteristic of seasonal periods, but not of specific sampling sites or plant coverage. Conclusions The present study suggests that the near surface atmosphere of urban environments constitutes a stable ecosystem, with a relatively 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.

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“…For example, Mhuireach et al (2016) compared bioaerosol samples in green spaces and parking lots and found compositional distinctions in bacterial communities between the two land cover types. Furthermore, Mhuireach et al (2019) explored spatiotemporal controls on the aerobiome and suggested that localized site factors were likely to be important in driving bacterial community structure. However, no known studies have investigated the spatial and compositional factors from a vertical perspective.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical Stratification in Urban Green Space Aerobiomes

Robinson

Cando‐Dumancela

Liddicoat

et al. 2020

Environ Health Perspect

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BACKGROUND: Exposure to a diverse environmental microbiome is thought to play an important role in "educating" the immune system and facilitating competitive exclusion of pathogens to maintain human health. Vegetation and soil are key sources of airborne microbiota-the aerobiome. A limited number of studies have attempted to characterize the dynamics of near surface green space aerobiomes, and no studies to date have investigated these dynamics from a vertical perspective. Vertical stratification in the aerobiome could have important implications for public health and for the design, engineering, and management of urban green spaces. OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives of this study were to: a) assess whether significant vertical stratification in bacterial species richness and evenness (alpha diversity) of the aerobiome occurred in a parkland habitat in Adelaide, South Australia; b) assess whether significant compositional differences (beta diversity) between sampling heights occurred; and c) to preliminarily assess whether there were significant altitudinal differences in potentially pathogenic and beneficial bacterial taxa. METHODS: We combined an innovative columnar sampling method at soil level, 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2:0 m, using passive petri dish sampling to collect airborne bacteria. We used a geographic information system (GIS) to select study sites, and we used high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to assess whether significant vertical stratification of the aerobiome occurred. RESULTS: Our results provide evidence of vertical stratification in both alpha and beta (compositional) diversity of airborne bacterial communities, with diversity decreasing roughly with height. We also found significant vertical stratification in potentially pathogenic and beneficial bacterial taxa. DISCUSSION: Although additional research is needed, our preliminary findings point to potentially different exposure attributes that may be contingent on human height and activity type. Our results lay the foundations for further research into the vertical characteristics of urban green space aerobiomes and their implications for public health and urban planning.

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Spatiotemporal Controls on the Urban Aerobiome

Cited by 48 publications

References 61 publications

Temporal patterns of variability for prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity in the urban air of Madrid (Spain)

Temporal patterns of variability for prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity in the urban air of Madrid (Spain)

Seasonal Changes of the Airborne Microbiome in a Large Urban Area

Vertical Stratification in Urban Green Space Aerobiomes

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