Characterization of fungal communities in aerosols: Coastal waters vs. open oceans

Abstract

Bioaerosols have an important influence on both the environment and human health. Current research on bioaerosols more focuses on bacterial aerosols, while the research of fungal aerosols could not be neglected, especially in marine environments. We present a study on the spatial distribution of fungal communities in aerosols over the South Yellow Sea (SYS), the East China Sea (ECS) and the northwestern Pacific (NWP) in autumn, further taking into account the influences of particle size differences and environmental factors. We found that the fungal concentrations at the junction of the South Yellow Sea and the East China Sea (SYS-ECS) were significantly greater than those at the junction of the East China Sea and the NWP (ECS-NWP) and the NWP (NWP1, NWP2, NWP5, and NWP9) (p < 0.05). Spatial differences in the richness and diversity of fungal communities were observed across different sea areas. Additionally, both the concentration and richness of fungal aerosols gradually decreased with increasing off-coast distance, suggesting that the influence of terrestrial sources on fungal aerosols over coastal waters was higher than open oceans. According to CCA (canonical correspondence analysis), the fungal community structures in the northern China marginal seas (NCMS) were influenced by the water-soluble ions F−, NO3−, and Ca2+, which primarily originated from anthropogenic activities, whereas wind speed exerted a significant impact on fungal community structure in the NWP. These results illustrate that the community structures of fungal aerosols depend on sampling site locations, source areas, particle size, and transport mechanisms. This research contributes to the understanding of fungal aerosols over the marine environment and reveals the impacts of environmental factors on fungal aerosols.