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Global and local air microbiomes identified by metagenomic analysis

04/04/2023

IPGP - Îlot Cuvier

11:00

Séminaires exceptionnels

Salle 108

Stephan Schuster

The microbial communities in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems have been well-studied for many years. With the advent of metagenomics, the diversity and abundance of these communities have become more evident, even on a global scale. However, the atmosphere, which has a significant planetary volume, has been largely overlooked as a habitat for microbial communities, despite providing means of transportation with an intercontinental range. We conducted a study on the presence of airborne microbial organisms in the tropical climate of Singapore and found robust and persistent communities, both on a daily and monthly basis. Bacteria and fungi were the major components of the air microbiome, along with DNA from plants and insects. In addition to conducting in-depth metagenomics studies to identify the diversity and abundance of airborne organisms at ground level, we analyzed air samples from various outdoor settings at different heights, including mountains and airplanes. This allows us to formulate large-scale models for the distribution of airborne microorganisms globally. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the similarities and differences between airborne microorganisms and volcanic ashes, which show similar size distributions.