Significance of air humidity and air velocity for fungal spore release into the air

Our previous field studies have shown that the presence of molds in buildings does not necessarily mean elevated airborne spore counts. Therefore, we investigated the release of fungal spores from cultures of Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium sp. and Cladosporium sp. at different air velocities and air humidities. Spores of A. fumigatus and Penicillium sp. were released from conidiophores already at air velocity of 0.5 ms⁻¹, whereas Cladosporium spores required at least a velocity of 1.0 ms⁻¹. Airborne spore counts of A. fumigatus and Penicillium sp. were usually higher in dry than moist air, being minimal at relative humidities (r.h.) above 70%, while the effect of r.h. on the release of Cladosporium sp. was ambivalent. The geometric mean diameter of released spores increased when the r.h. exceeded a certain level which depends on fungal genus. Thus, spores of all three fungi were hygroscopic but the hygroscopicity of various spores appeared at different r.h.-ranges. This study indicates that spore release is controlled by external factors and depends on fungal genus which can be one reason for considerable variation of airborne spore counts in buildings with mold problems.     

Fungal microcolonies on indoor surfaces — an explanation for the base-level fungal spore counts in indoor air

In the subarctic winter, fungal spores are found in indoor air even when outdoor spore levels are very low. The results of this study support an explanation that some indoor airborne fungal spores are derived from unnoticeable fungal microcolonies, which may develop on temporarily wet surfaces. Laboratory experiments on Penicillium verrucosum indicated that the fungus germinated on new wallpaper very quickly (about half an hour) under moist conditions. Hyphal growth and sporulation of the fungus on moist wallpaper occured within one day of incubation. In gravity-settling tape samples from occasionally wet surfaces in a suburban home, large spore aggregates, hyphal fragments with some spores and spores in the germination stage were found, indicating fungal growth. These experiments showed that fungal microcolonies can develop within a week on occasionally wet indoor surfaces.     

Airborne mesophilic fungal spores in various residential environments

In the present work viable fungal spore counts and flora of indoor air were compared in various residences. Total viable spore counts were lowest in the urban/suburban residences and highest in the rural residences. Moisture problems in the urban environment did not increase total viable spore count, but affected composition of fungal flora. In the rural environment, spore counts were much higher in the old houses than in the new ones. Penicillium was the most prevalent fungus in the air of all the residences studied. Airborne Aspergillus, Cladosporium spores and yeast cells were more common in the damp residences and the old rural houses than in the other residences.     

Airborne Cladosporium and other fungi in damp versus reference residences

Our previous study (Nevalainen et al., 1991, Envir. Int.17, 299–302) showed that airborne counts of total viable fungal spores in damp residences did not remarkably differ from those in reference residences. The results of the present study confirmed this finding. Indoor air spore counts varied considerably from residence to residence and even within the same residence. Thus, the counts were only occasionally high in the damp residences. Counts of airborne Cladosporium spp. spores and yeast cells were significantly higher in the damp residences than in the reference ones. The difference of yeast cell counts between the residence groups was explained by the difference in outdoor air, whereas Cladosporium spp. spores were mainly derived from indoors. Prevalence of Aspergillus spp. spores was also slightly higher in the damp residences than in the reference ones.     

Fungal spores and pollen in particulate matter collected during agricultural activities in the Po Valley (Italy)

Airborne particulate matter (PM) containing fungal spores and pollen grains was sampled within a monitoring campaign of wheat threshing, plowing and sowing agricultural operations. Fungal spores and pollen grains were detected and identified on morphological basis. No studies were previously available about fungal spore and pollen content in agricultural PM in the Po Valley. Sampling was conducted in a Po Valley farmland in Mezzano (Ferrara, Italy). The organic particles collected were examined by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Fungal spores and pollen grains were identified when possible at the level of species. The most frequent components of the organic particles sampled were spores of Aspergillus sp., which could represent a risk of developing allergies and aspergillosis for crop farmers.     

氯灭活地下水源中3种优势真菌的效能与机制

地下水源中真菌大量繁殖会产生嗅味,引发毒性反应以及产生大量肉眼可见的絮状物,严重影响供水水质.以地下水源中3种优势真菌木霉属、青霉属、枝孢属为研究对象,以氯为消毒剂,通过研究真菌孢子胞内物质泄漏,胞外三磷酸腺苷(ATP),脱氧核糖核酸(DNA)和蛋白质增加及孢子形态变化,探明了氯灭活3种真菌孢子的效能与机制.结果表明,氯灭活真菌孢子符合一级动力学,满足Chick模型,3种真菌的耐氯性为:木霉属青霉属枝孢属,真菌孢子尺寸越大,亲水性越强,灭活效果越好.氯灭活后,胞内物质泄漏,胞外特征物质(ATP、DNA、蛋白质)显著增加;氯对细胞表面破坏严重,灭活后真菌孢子凹陷,表面褶皱.综上所述,氯首先作用于孢子表面,降低孢子的可培养性,进一步作用使细胞的通透性屏障受损,导致胞内特征物质释放,以致孢子死亡.     

Wasting collaboration potential: A study in urban green space governance in a post-transition country

Most accounts of urban green space governance originate in cities where such initiatives have been successful. Meanwhile, there is too little information on cities where such initiatives develop with more difficulty. In order to overcome the problems that such cities face, their situations need to be studied more carefully to facilitate peer comparisons. This article provides an account of urban green space governance in three cities in Poland (Krakow, Lodz, Poznan), where environmental protection is still quite far down on the list of political priorities. With the use of a social network analysis we looked at the extent of relationships between different stakeholders and the roles of different actors within the network. The results indicate that the network's collaboration potential is barely used and that cross-sectoral collaboration is especially deficient. In particular, public institutions hold a relatively strong position and downplay the role of other actors. More collaboration is necessary and the potential bridging role of NGOs should be used to a larger extent. However, this requires more openness and trust within the network.     

Potential bioremediation of mercury-contaminated substrate using filamentous fungi isolated from forest soil

The use of filamentous fungi in bioremediation of heavy metal contamination has been developed recently. This research aims to observe the capability of filamentous fungi isolated from forest soil for bioremediation of mercury contamination in a substrate. Six fungal strains were selected based on their capability to grow in 25 mg/L Hg2+-contaminated potato dextrose agar plates. Fungal strain KRP1 showed the highest ratio of growth diameter, 0.831, thus was chosen for further observation.Identification based on colony and cell morphology carried out by 18S rRNA analysis gave a 98%match to Aspergillus flavus strain KRP1. The fungal characteristics in mercury(Ⅱ) contamination such as range of optimum pH, optimum temperature and tolerance level were 5.5–7 and 25–35℃ and 100 mg/L respectively. The concentration of mercury in the media affected fungal growth during lag phases. The capability of the fungal strain to remove the mercury(Ⅱ) contaminant was evaluated in 100 mL sterile 10 mg/L Hg2+-contaminated potato dextrose broth media in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks inoculated with 108spore/mL fungal spore suspension and incubation at 30℃ for 7 days. The mercury(Ⅱ) utilization was observed for flasks shaken in a 130 r/min orbital shaker(shaken) and nonshaken flasks(static) treatments. Flasks containing contaminated media with no fungal spores were also provided as control. All treatments were done in triplicate. The strain was able to remove 97.50%and 98.73% mercury from shaken and static systems respectively. A. flavus strain KRP1 seems to have potential use in bioremediation of aqueous substrates containing mercury(Ⅱ) through a biosorption mechanism.     

Microbial and size characterization of airborne particulate matter collected on sticky tapes along US–Mexico border

Particulate matter(PM) emissions from various sources can affect significantly human health and environmental quality especially in the Chihuahuan Desert region along US–Mexico border. The objective of this study was to use the low-cost sticky tape method to collect airborne PM for size characterization and identification of fungal spores. Sticky tape samplers were placed at 1.0 and 2.0 m above the ground surface at experimental sites in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and at 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 m at New Mexico sites, USA. Soil samples were collected in both countries to determine fungal diversity, texture and moisture content Dust particles collected from all of the experimental sites had a dominant texture of clay( 0.002 mm). The dominant textures identified from soil samples collected from the US and Mexican sites were loam and sandy clay loam, respectively. Alternaria, Penicillium and Fusarium were frequently found funguses in the US sites while Alternaria and Aspergillus were commonly observed in the Mexican sites. The sticky tapes also showed a similar diversity of fungal microorganisms present in the airborne PM at both Mexico and US sites Alternaria, Penicillium and Aspergillus were the three groups of airborne fungal microorganisms consistently present in the US and Mexican sites. The low-cost sticky tape method has the potential to be used for characterizing different airborne microorganisms and dust particles.     

浙北地区真菌气溶胶示踪物季节分布特征

于2014年12月—2015年11月收集了浙江北部地区4个采样点的PM2.5样品,利用高效液相色谱-串联质谱仪分析获得真菌气溶胶示踪物阿糖醇和甘露醇的浓度,研究了浙北地区真菌气溶胶的季节性变化特征及其来源.观测结果显示,浙北地区阿糖醇和甘露醇的年均浓度分别为(5.6±0.7)和(5.7±1.3)ng·m-3.真菌气溶胶示踪物夏季浓度最高,可能是由于当地夏季频繁的生物质燃烧和温暖湿润的气候条件促进了真菌孢子的释放;另外,在该地区真菌孢子对气溶胶中有机碳(OC)的贡献并不显著(1%).主成分分析显示,真菌气溶胶示踪物(阿糖醇、甘露醇)和生物质燃烧示踪物(左旋葡聚糖、甘露聚糖、半乳聚糖、nss-K+)在整个采样过程中都包含在同一个因子中,表明浙北地区大气中真菌气溶胶持续受到生物质燃烧排放源的影响.     

City-specific vehicle emission control strategies to achieve stringent emission reduction targets in China's Yangtze River Delta region

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region is one of the most prosperous and densely populated regions in China and is facing tremendous pressure to mitigate vehicle emissions and improve air quality. Our assessment has revealed that mitigating vehicle emissions of NOx would be more difficult than reducing the emissions of other major vehicular pollutants (e.g., CO, HC and PM_2.5) in the YRD region. Even in Shanghai, where the emission control implemented are more stringent than in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, we observed little to no reduction in NOx emissions from 2000 to 2010. Emission–reduction targets for HC, NOx and PM_2.5 are determined using a response surface modeling tool for better air quality. We design city-specific emission control strategies for three vehicle-populated cities in the YRD region: Shanghai and Nanjing and Wuxi in Jiangsu. Our results indicate that even if stringent emission control consisting of the Euro 6/VI standards, the limitation of vehicle population and usage, and the scrappage of older vehicles is applied, Nanjing and Wuxi will not be able to meet the NOx emissions target by 2020. Therefore, additional control measures are proposed for Nanjing and Wuxi to further mitigate NOx emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> head blight incidence and mycotoxin accumulation in three durum wheat cultivars in relation to sowing date and density

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) is an important crop in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean countries. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is considered as one of the most damaging diseases, resulting in yield and quality reduction as well as contamination of grain with mycotoxins. Three winter durum wheat cultivars originating from Austria, Slovakia, and Poland were analyzed during 2012–2014 seasons for FHB incidence and Fusarium mycotoxin accumulation in harvested grain. Moreover, the effects of sowing density and delayed sowing date were evaluated in the climatic conditions of Southern Poland. Low disease severity was observed in 2011/2012 in all durum wheat cultivars analyzed, and high FHB occurrence was recorded in 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons. Fusarium graminearum was the most abundant pathogen, followed by Fusarium avenaceum. Through all three seasons, cultivar Komnata was the most susceptible to FHB and to mycotoxin accumulation, while cultivars Auradur and IS Pentadur showed less symptoms. High susceptibility of cv. Komnata was reflected by the number of Fusarium isolates and elevated mycotoxin (deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and moniliformin) content in the grain of this cultivar across all three seasons. Nivalenol was identified in the samples of cv. Komnata only. Genotype-dependent differences in FHB susceptibility were observed for the plants sown at optimal date but not at delayed sowing date. It can be hypothesized that cultivars bred in Austria and Slovakia show less susceptibility towards FHB than the cultivar from Poland because of the environmental conditions allowing for more efficient selection of breeding materials.     

Arthropods associated with fungal galls: do large galls support more abundant and diverse inhabitants?

Fungus-induced galls can attract spore-feeding arthropods as well as gall-feeding ones, resulting in diverse communities. Do large fungal galls support more abundant and diverse arthropod communities than small fungal galls? To address this question, we investigated the structure of the arthropod community associated with bud galls induced by the fungus Melanopsichium onumae on the tree species Cinnamomum yabunikkei (Lauraceae) in central Japan. Thirteen species of arthropods were associated with M. onumae galls. Dominant arthropod species were represented by the larvae of a salpingid beetle (a spore feeder), a nitidulid beetle (a spore feeder), a cosmopterigid moth (a spore feeder), an unidentified moth (a gall tissue feeder), and a drosophilid species (a gall tissue feeder). Arthropod abundance and species richness were positively correlated with gall diameter. The majority of the most abundant species were more frequently found in large galls than in small ones, indicating that large fungal galls, which have more food and/or space for arthropods, could support a more abundant and diverse arthropod community.     

城市居家环境空气真菌群落结构特征研究

居室环境质量的优劣与人类健康密切相关.成年人约80%～90%的时间是在室内度过,而且现代人们的生活越来越离不开空调,由于人体、房间和空调机在室内会形成了一个封闭的循环系统,容易使细菌、病毒、霉菌等微生物大量繁衍.因此,百货商场、学校教室、办公室和现代住宅等近年来成为了室内环境空气质量的研究热点.在北京市5个方向(东南西北中)共选取31户具有小孩的家庭于2009年11月～2010年10月进行试验,研究了城市居家环境空气真菌的群落结构特征.结果表明,从分离的225株空气真菌中共鉴定出24属,从鉴定出现的次数来看,其优势真菌属依次为青霉属(Penicillium)、枝孢属(Cladosporium)、曲霉属(Aspergillus)、链格孢属(Alternaria)和茎点霉属(Phoma),其中青霉属出现的次数占分离菌株总数的36%.居家环境中青霉属、枝孢属、曲霉属、链格孢属、丛梗孢属(Monilia)的出现频率较高,其中青霉属的出现频率在90%以上;浓度百分比较高的真菌依次为青霉属、枝孢属、曲霉属、无孢菌和链格孢属,它们浓度总和约占总浓度的65.0%及以上,其中青霉属浓度百分比为32.2%.在北京市取样的31户家庭中,空气真菌浓度范围为62～3 498 CFU.m-3,平均值为837 CFU.m-3.空气真菌总浓度与枝孢属、曲霉属、链格孢属浓度的季节变化特征基本一致,夏季明显高于春季、秋季和冬季(P<0.05*),冬季浓度最低,而青霉属浓度的季节变化则表现为春季较高,夏季、秋季和冬季没有显著差异(P>0.05*).北京市居家环境空气真菌浓度男孩家庭明显高于女孩家庭(P<0.05*),并且家庭空气真菌浓度与人均居住面积呈显著负相关.     

Fungal diversity in major oil-shale mines in China

As an insufficiently utilized energy resource,oil shale is conducive to the formation of characteristic microbial communities due to its special geological origins.However,little is known about fungal diversity in oil shale.Polymerase chain reaction cloning was used to construct the fungal ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid internal transcribed spacer(r DNA ITS)clone libraries of Huadian Mine in Jilin Province,Maoming Mine in Guangdong Province,and Fushun Mine in Liaoning Province.Pure culture and molecular identification were applied for the isolation of cultivable fungi in fresh oil shale of each mine.Results of clone libraries indicated that each mine had over 50% Ascomycota(58.4%–98.9%)and 1.1%–13.5%unidentified fungi.Fushun Mine and Huadian Mine had 5.9% and 28.1% Basidiomycota,respectively.Huadian Mine showed the highest fungal diversity,followed by Fushun Mine and Maoming Mine.Jaccard indexes showed that the similarities between any two of three fungal communities at the genus level were very low,indicating that fungi in each mine developed independently during the long geological adaptation and formed a community composition fitting the environment.In the fresh oil-shale samples of the three mines,cultivable fungal phyla were consistent with the results of clone libraries.Fifteen genera and several unidentified fungi were identified as Ascomycota and Basidiomycota using pure culture.Penicillium was the only genus found in all three mines.These findings contributed to gaining a clear understanding of current fungal resources in major oil-shale mines in China and provided useful information for relevant studies on isolation of indigenous fungi carrying functional genes from oil shale.     

Spatial and temporal variation of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants in 26 cities in China

O3and PM2.5were introduced into the newly revised air quality standard system in February 2012, representing a milestone in the history of air pollution control, and China's urban air quality will be evaluated using six factors(SO2, NO2, O3, CO, PM2.5and PM10) from the beginning of 2013. To achieve the new air quality standard, it is extremely important to have a primary understanding of the current pollution status in various cities. The spatial and temporal variations of the air pollutants were investigated in 26 pilot cities in China from August 2011 to February 2012, just before the new standard was executed. Hourly averaged SO2, NO2and PM10were observed in 26 cities, and the pollutants O3, CO and PM2.5were measured in 15 of the 26 cities. The concentrations of SO2and CO were much higher in the cities in north China than those in the south. As for O3and NO2, however, there was no significant diference between northern and southern cities. Fine particles were found to account for a large proportion of airborne particles, with the ratio of PM2.5to PM10ranging from 55% to 77%. The concentrations of PM2.5(57.5 μg/m3) and PM10(91.2 μg/m3) were much higher than the values(PM2.5: 11.2 μg/m3; PM10 : 35.6 μg/m3) recommended by the World Health Organization. The attainment of the new urban air quality standard in the investigated cities is decreased by 20% in comparison with the older standard without considering O3, CO and PM2.5, suggesting a great challenge in urban air quality improvement, and more eforts will to be taken to control air pollution in China.     

哈尔滨市环境空气质量变化及影响因素分析研究

近年来,大气污染问题已然成为热门话题。大气污染不仅危害中国生态环境和居民健康,甚至可能对其他邻近国家产生影响。哈尔滨地处中国东北部地区,空气质量变化具有区域性特征。本文在参阅了大量参考文献的基础上,结合哈尔滨市2010年-2012年与2012年1～12月份的空气质量数据,对哈尔滨市的大气质量变化规律及影响因素进行了分析。确定了哈尔滨市大气环境质量的级别和首要污染物以及影响空气质量变化的主要影响因素。     

首都水源地——洋河流域人为源多环芳烃(PAHs)排放清单估算及其影响分析

洋河流域位于京西北上风向,是北京重要水源地和生态保护屏障,我国北方典型的农牧交错带和生态脆弱敏感区,也是北京-张家口2022年冬奥会的申办地,具有极重要的战略地位.建立洋河流域大气PAHs排放清单,分析其可能来源及影响,通过气团后向轨迹辨识其区域PAHs传输途径,对于北京及张家口地区环境PAHs的污染控制具有重要的指导意义.本研究收集和分析了洋河流域大量工、农业生产和居民生活等相关数据资料,评估了流域各行业、各县市PAHs排放因子,单体排放量及其影响因素,通过气团后向轨迹模型分析了PAHs的传输轨迹.结果表明,洋河流域大气PAHs排放量为4.4×102t.从排放行业看,煤炭燃烧源、秸秆燃烧源是洋河流域大气PAHs的重要排放源,其贡献率分别为76%和16%.从排放地区看,宣化县的排放量最大,约49 t;其次分别为:兴和县、天镇县、怀来县、万全县,排放量分别约为:36、32、24和15 t.从排放谱看,低环(2~3环)与高环分子(4~6环)PAHs的排放量相差不大,分别约占PAHs排放总量的50%左右.洋河流域单位PAHs总排放量与各县市的工业生产总值(r=0.96,P<0.05)、居民收入(r=0.94,P<0.05)、人口密度呈正相关(r=0.92,P<0.05),与单位国土面积呈负相关(r=-0.9,P<0.05),与农业生产总值没有显著相关(r=0.026,P>0.01).流域内PAHs的较高排放与该地以煤炭为主的能源结构和较高的居民消费水平有关.基于气团后向轨迹模拟和洋河流域PAHs排放,可以推断洋河流域已成为PAHs的高污染风险区,通过西北气流可将流域高浓度的PAHs输送至北京,对北京的生态环境和人体健康造成潜在风险.     

Yangtze Three Gorges Reservoir, China: A holistic assessment of organic pollution, mutagenic effects of sediments and genotoxic impacts on fish

Besides obvious benefits,the Three Gorges Dam's construction resulted in new pollution scenarios with the potentials to threaten the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR) ecosystem.In order to record organic contamination,to find links to ecotoxicological impacts and to serve as reference for ensuing monitoring,several sites in the TGR area were screened applying the triad approach with additional lines-of-evidence as a holistic assessment method.Sediments and the benthic fish species Pelteobagrus vachellii were sampled in 2011 and 2012 to determine organic pollution levels,mutagenic potentials and genotoxic impacts.Two regional hot-spots near the cities of Chongqing and Kaixian were identified and further investigated in 2013.Only polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) could be detected in sediments in 2011(165–1653 ng/g),emphasizing their roles as key pollutants of the area.Their ubiquity was confirmed at Chongqing(150–433 ng/g) and Kaixian(127–590 ng/g) in2013.Concentrations were comparable to other major Chinese and German rivers.However,the immense sediment influx suggested a deposition of 216–636 kg PAH/day(0.2–0.6 mg PAH/(m2·day)),indicating an ecotoxicological risk.PAH source analysis highlighted primary impacts of combustion sources on the more industrialized upper TGR section,whereas petrogenic sources dominated the mid-low section.Furthermore,sediment extracts from several sites exhibited significant activities of frameshift promutagens in the Ames fluctuation assay.Additionally,significant genotoxic impairments in erythrocytes of P.vachellii were detected(Chongqing/Kaixian),demonstrating the relevance of genotoxicity as animportant mode of action in the TGR's fish.PAHs,their derivatives and non-target compounds are considered as main causative agents.     

乌鲁木齐城市群城市间大气污染相互影响分析

利用乌鲁木齐城市群2010—2015年空气质量日报,引入时间序列的VAR模型对城市间的大气污染相互影响关系及贡献进行研究。结果表明:乌鲁木齐城市群5市存在影响效应,乌鲁木齐受外源影响为主,昌吉、阜康受内源影响为主,五家渠、石河子受内外源共同影响;乌鲁木齐城市群城市间大气污染相互影响存在明显的滞后效应,前3期的影响最大,第10期以后响应值趋于0。