Microorganisms of environmental origin play an important role in the Earth system through their participation in biogeochemical cycles, and their impact on human health. The influence of different environmental factors on their structure and function is poorly understood, particularly, during their inter-environments transition. Hence, there is a need for a better characterization of airborne microorganisms (also termed bioaerosols) under changing environmental conditions, to predict changes in their properties, community composition and abundance, and interactions.
In the seminar, I will present recent findings on bioaerosol community composition, functionality, viability, and pathogenicity. I will elaborate on dust-born bioaerosols and the transport of antibiotic resistance; long-range transport of bacteria over oceans; the documentation of aerial infection mechanism of oceanic blooms; and the allergenic potential of aerosolized aquatic microorganisms.
These studies provide a window for environmental microbiology research field, which combines field sampling and laboratory simulations, to gain a comprehensive understanding of microbial community involvement in public health and the Earth system.
