Impact of Anthropogenic Factors on the Diversity of Microbial Communities of PM10 Air and PM100 of Tilia L. Phylloplane in an Urban Ecosystem

Identifying the relationship between the microbiomes of urban dust particles from different biotopes is important because the state of microorganisms can be used to assess the quality of the environment. The aim of this work was to determine the distribution and interaction patterns of microorganisms of dust particles in the air and on leaf surfaces. Metabarcoding of bacterial and fungal communities, PAH, and metal content analyses and electron microscopy were used in this work. The results obtained allowed us to characterise the biological and chemical components of the dust particles. Some bacterial and fungal genera were correlated with benzanthracene, fluoranthene, and Cu, Ni, Co, Zn, and Mn contents. Bacterial communities were found to be more sensitive to all the pollutants studied. PM10 microbial communities circulated between biotopes and study areas due to air flows, as evidenced by the presence of similar ASVs in fungi and bacteria. The results could help to understand the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities. © 2024 by the authors.