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Differential Aerosolization of Algal and Cyanobacterial Particles in the Atmosphere

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Abstract

Aeroalgal sampling at short height (2.5 m) over natural aquatic and terrestrial algal sources revealed that despite of being similar in size (<1 mm), algal groups vary in their atmospheric abundance. Cyanobacteria were the most abundant, while chlorophytes and bacillariophytes though present, but rare. Statistical analysis (Akaike Information Criterion) showed that climatic factors (temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind velocity and sunshine hours) acted in concert, and mainly affected the release and subsequent vertical movement (aerosolization) of algae from natural sources. Variation in aerosolization may affect the atmospheric abundance of algae. These findings have important implication as dispersal limitation may influence the biogeography and biodiversity of microbial algae.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the In-charge, IMD, Banaras Hindu University for providing the meteorological data and Dr. Niraj Pandey (Department of Statistics, BHU) for statistical calculations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Postgraduate College, Ghazipur, 233001, UP, India

    Naveen K. Sharma

  2. Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, UP, India

    Surendra Singh

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  1. Naveen K. Sharma
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  2. Surendra Singh
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Correspondence to Naveen K. Sharma.

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Sharma, N.K., Singh, S. Differential Aerosolization of Algal and Cyanobacterial Particles in the Atmosphere. Indian J Microbiol 50, 468–473 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-011-0146-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-011-0146-x

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