Spatial Gradients of Fungal Abundance and Ecology throughout a Damp Building

Abstract

Dampness and fungal (mold) growth in buildings is a persistent environmental health problem. This study sought to determine the extent to which fungi grown on damp materials are distributed throughout a single family home. Samples were collected from fungi growing directly on building materials in the basement (direct mold), and, as a proxy for indoor and outdoor air, settled dust was collected from the top of door frames (basement, first, and second floor, exterior). Direct mold in the basement influenced both the fungal richness and ecology of air throughout the building. Fungal communities clustered by sample type (ANOSIM R=0.62, p-value=0.001) and floor (indoor samples: ANOSIM R=0.58, p-value=0.001) with the direct mold ecologies dominated by taxa (i.e. Sterigmatomyces, Stachybotrys, Aspergillus) associated with mold growth on building materials, and not present in outdoor samples. The relative abundances of these highly enriched direct mold taxa were also found to be inversely correlated to the dista...