Harvard Forest On-Going Research Projects

Harvard Forest Research

An airspora observatory examining meteorological influences on fungal activity

Principal Investigator: Christine Rogers
University of Massachusetts at Amherst: Apr 01 2006 - Feb 28 2011:

Abstract:
Airspora Observatories - Project Summary

Fungal biodiversity is one of the most poorly characterized aspects of ecosystems and a major scientific challenge. In fact, it has been estimated that perhaps only 5% of the fungal species have been named and characterized (Hawksworth 1991). Fungi are critical to ecosystem function and stability, forming complex interactions with plants, bacteria, and animals, as decayers and pathogens, or in mutualistic interactions as lichens and mycorrhizae. They are associated with allergy, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and cause superficial and invasive mycoses in humans. Fungi are also highly mobile, moving within and among ecosystems as airborne spores (“airspora”). A major impediment to understanding the role of fungi in this diverse set of processes and mechanisms is the dearth of knowledge about the organisms themselves and their distribution in time and space.
1) Intellectual merit: This collaborative project will increase understanding of fungal biodiversity by capitalizing on the fungal characteristic of producing aerially dispersed spores. Specifically, this project will 1) conduct long-term monitoring of airspora of the eastern temperate deciduous forest, 2) integrate a molecular phylogenetic component with our current morphology-based knowledge of airspora diversity, recognizing new and known taxa, 3) relate spore and fungal abundance to environmental factors at several temporal scales, and 4) connect morphologically and phylogenetically identified airspora to fungi in the field. The research activity will integrate traditional microscopic observations of airspora, DNA sequence analysis of collected airspora, and environmental monitoring. In addition, annual targeted discovery forays (“Spore Camps”) will connect fungi in the field with airspora observed using the microscopic and molecular approaches, and with environmental factors. By evaluating the aerial component in assessing biodiversity, this research considers an important aspect of fungal life cycles, will provide a more complete picture of fungal biodiversity by sampling throughout the seasons, and will be representative of fungi living throughout many components of the ecosystem from a wide geographic area.
2) Broader impacts: This novel approach integrates education with research by allowing students to participate fully in the species discovery process and gain an appreciation for the immense domain of the fungi. This is facilitated by the interaction of students (broadly defined to be gender, race, age inclusive) with expert mycologists and aerobiologists at sampling sites in the Harvard Forest, Harvard University and the Air Quality Research and Demonstration Center at Pennsylvania State University. The project will enhance the scientific and educational infrastructure present at these sites by incorporating important long-term aerobiological monitoring capacity. The project provides support for four minority students to participate in each Spore Camp, and also for a graduate student and post-doc in an area of expertise where few individuals are being trained, and will work to recruit a person with a disability to be trained to perform microscopic spore identification.
Results of the work will be disseminated in scientific publications as well as by contribution to publicly accessible web-based DNA sequence databases, creation of a Pan-American Aerobiological database, creation of permanent archives of fungal specimens and airspora slide collections, and production of an online fungal spore identification key.
Consequently this research will also provide critical information on the dominant species of fungi involved in human exposure through inhalation of airborne spores in the outdoor environment and the factors influencing their fluctuations. It will identify fungi that should be targeted for further development of skin tests and immunotherapy materials.
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	Harvard Forest Research An airspora observatory examining meteorological influences on fungal activity Principal Investigator: Christine Rogers University of Massachusetts at Amherst: Apr 01 2006 - Feb 28 2011: Abstract: Airspora Observatories - Project Summary Fungal biodiversity is one of the most poorly characterized aspects of ecosystems and a major scientific challenge. In fact, it has been estimated that perhaps only 5% of the fungal species have been named and characterized (Hawksworth 1991). Fungi are critical to ecosystem function and stability, forming complex interactions with plants, bacteria, and animals, as decayers and pathogens, or in mutualistic interactions as lichens and mycorrhizae. They are associated with allergy, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and cause superficial and invasive mycoses in humans. Fungi are also highly mobile, moving within and among ecosystems as airborne spores (“airspora”). A major impediment to understanding the role of fungi in this diverse set of processes and mechanisms is the dearth of knowledge about the organisms themselves and their distribution in time and space. 1) Intellectual merit: This collaborative project will increase understanding of fungal biodiversity by capitalizing on the fungal characteristic of producing aerially dispersed spores. Specifically, this project will 1) conduct long-term monitoring of airspora of the eastern temperate deciduous forest, 2) integrate a molecular phylogenetic component with our current morphology-based knowledge of airspora diversity, recognizing new and known taxa, 3) relate spore and fungal abundance to environmental factors at several temporal scales, and 4) connect morphologically and phylogenetically identified airspora to fungi in the field. The research activity will integrate traditional microscopic observations of airspora, DNA sequence analysis of collected airspora, and environmental monitoring. In addition, annual targeted discovery forays (“Spore Camps”) will connect fungi in the field with airspora observed using the microscopic and molecular approaches, and with environmental factors. By evaluating the aerial component in assessing biodiversity, this research considers an important aspect of fungal life cycles, will provide a more complete picture of fungal biodiversity by sampling throughout the seasons, and will be representative of fungi living throughout many components of the ecosystem from a wide geographic area. 2) Broader impacts: This novel approach integrates education with research by allowing students to participate fully in the species discovery process and gain an appreciation for the immense domain of the fungi. This is facilitated by the interaction of students (broadly defined to be gender, race, age inclusive) with expert mycologists and aerobiologists at sampling sites in the Harvard Forest, Harvard University and the Air Quality Research and Demonstration Center at Pennsylvania State University. The project will enhance the scientific and educational infrastructure present at these sites by incorporating important long-term aerobiological monitoring capacity. The project provides support for four minority students to participate in each Spore Camp, and also for a graduate student and post-doc in an area of expertise where few individuals are being trained, and will work to recruit a person with a disability to be trained to perform microscopic spore identification. Results of the work will be disseminated in scientific publications as well as by contribution to publicly accessible web-based DNA sequence databases, creation of a Pan-American Aerobiological database, creation of permanent archives of fungal specimens and airspora slide collections, and production of an online fungal spore identification key. Consequently this research will also provide critical information on the dominant species of fungi involved in human exposure through inhalation of airborne spores in the outdoor environment and the factors influencing their fluctuations. It will identify fungi that should be targeted for further development of skin tests and immunotherapy materials. :
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