Molecular characterization of airborne fungal spores in boreal forests of contrasting human disturbance

In this study we present a new approach to characterize fungal diversity with DNA sequencing of mycelium grown from trapped airborne spores. Fungal spores were extracted systematically from air in three boreal forest sites (clear-cut, young and old-growth forests) using an air sampling device. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences from the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) were generated, and the sequences most likely taxon affinities were established through DNA homology searches. Phylogenetic analyses were used to classify similar sequences into operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The analyses indicated that a total of 84 different OTUs had been sampled, 24 basidiomycetes and 60 ascomycetes. OTUs belonging to the ascomycete orders Helotiales and Pleosporales were most frequent (31 and 18 respectively). A total of 54, 29 and 33 OTUs were sampled, respectively, in the old-growth, young and clear-cut forest sites. Although heavy generalization should be avoided due to few replicates, the results could indicate that old-growth boreal forests have significantly higher airborne fungal species richness than recently managed forests. The study shows that the spore-trapping approach has a great potential for targeting and studying anonymous fungi.