Microscopic fungi as significant sesquiterpene emission sources

Abstract

[1] Among the volatile organic compounds emitted by vegetation, isoprene, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and their derivatives are thought to contribute to secondary organic aerosol formation. Although it is well known that microscopic fungi globally turn over vast amount of carbon by decomposing the organic matter in the soil, vegetation is considered as the exclusive source of biogenic secondary organic aerosol precursors in various atmospheric models. Secondary fungal metabolites including sesquiterpenes have been recognized as characteristic volatile organic compounds emitted by fungi. In the present study, we investigated the rates of sesquiterpene emission of microscopic fungi to establish their potential significance compared to those from vegetation. To sample the headspace of the pure culture of some common fungi, we used an aseptic flow-through apparatus designed for solid phase microextraction in our laboratory. The identified sesquiterpenes in the headspace extracts were quantified for eight strains of microscopic fungi belonging to four different genera. Our results showed that microscopic fungi emit a considerable amount of sesquiterpenes. Based on our first estimations microscopic fungi may be considered as potentially significant sesquiterpene emission sources whose contribution to secondary organic aerosol formation may be comparable to that of vegetation.