While considerable advances have been made in metagenomics, a high proportion of the fungi in the world remain unknown. At the same time, species loss is occurring through climate change. Not only does technology need to advance further to assess the full extent of the planet’s species richness, but there is also a partial ‘race against time’.
Researchers based at University of Jyväskylä – Jyväskylän yliopisto have discovered that the key to a quick and cost-effective mapping of biodiversity is in the air that surrounds us. This is based on air holding DNA from plants, fungi, bacteria, insects, mammals and other organisms.
With the focus on fungi, this approach offers clues about the climatic and evolutionary factors influencing the occurrence and seasonal variation of both previously known and unknown fungi. In particular, air sampling has shown higher diversity and stronger ecological signals in community composition, relating to fungi, than more traditional survey methods based on soil sampling.
The basis of the study is the application of DNA sequencing to identify fungi from air samples collected around the world. This is in the form of making biomonitoring and biodiversity forecasts. For the analysis, the researchers targeted part of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (the universal molecular barcode for fungi).
Fungi represent an optimal area for study given that almost all fungi are at least partially spread through the air. The research gathered information on boletes and russulas, and in relation to lichens, bracket fungi, filamentous fungi and yeasts.
The data also reveals more complex patterns, such as understanding where and when different fungal species thrive. Associated data also enables researchers to predict the fate of certain species under the ongoing global change to the climate.
This includes understanding the genetic sequences for fungi that are important to humans, such as those associated with fungal diseases of humans, crops and production animals, as well as fungi that indicate the progress of the loss of nature and the weakening of natural ecosystem processes.
To strengthen the analysis of the collected data, the researchers developed statistical modelling, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence methods to interpret the biodiversity data.
The experimental results will also be used to support a new initiative called the Global Spore Sampling Project (GSSP).
The research appears in the science journal Nature, titled “Airborne DNA reveals predictable spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi.”
