A Highly Homogeneous Airborne Fungal Community around a Copper Open Pit Mine Reveals the Poor Contribution Made by the Local Aerosolization of Particles.

ABSTRACT: Fungi are ubiquitous and metabolically versatile. Their dispersion has important scientific, environmental, health, and economic implications. They can be dispersed through the air by the aerosolization of near surfaces or transported from distant sources. Here, we tested the contribution of local (scale of meters) versus regional (kilometers) sources by analyzing an airborne fungal community by ITS sequencing around a copper mine in the North of Chile. The mine was the regional source, whereas the soil and vegetal detritus were the local sources at each point. The airborne community was highly homogeneous at ca. 2000 km², impeding the detection of regional or local contributions. Ascomycota was the dominant phylum in the three communities. Soil and vegetal detritus communities

SUBMITTER: Fuentes-Alburquenque S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11123957 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature