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Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Airborne Microorganisms as Tracers of Microclimatic Changes in the Underground (Postojna Cave, Slovenia)

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

Bioaerosols in cave air can serve as natural tracers and, together with physical parameters, give a detailed view of conditions in the cave atmosphere and responses to climatic changes. Airborne microbes in the Postojna Cave system indicated very dynamic atmospheric conditions, especially in the transitory seasonal periods between winter and summer. Physical parameters of cave atmosphere explained the highest variance in structure of microbial community in the winter and in the summer. The airborne microbial community is composed of different microbial groups with generally low abundances. At sites with elevated organic input, occasional high concentrations of bacteria and fungi can be expected of up to 1,000 colony-forming units/m3 per individual group. The most abundant group of airborne amoebozoans were the mycetozoans. Along with movements of air masses, airborne algae also travel deep underground. In a cave passage with elevated radon concentration (up to 60 kBq/m3) airborne biota were less abundant; however, the concentration of DNA in the air was comparable to that in other parts of the cave. Due to seasonal natural air inflow, high concentrations of biological and inanimate particles are introduced underground. Sedimentation of airborne allochthonous material might represent an important and continuous source of organic material for cave fauna.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the bilateral research project “Study of amoebal viability and vehicle of their transport in the environment: case study from karst caves” (BI-AT/09-10-023) and program Karst Research P6-0119 funded by the Slovenian Research Agency. Authors are especially grateful to Andrej Mihevc, Franjo Drole, and Stanislav Glažar for assistance in locating representative sampling sites for the study; to Andreea Oarga for help during field work; to Jacek Pietrzak (Medical University of Vienna) for excellent technical assistance; and to Franko Radošič (Institute of Occupational Safety), Andrej Kozinc (Merck d.o.o., Slovenia), and Karmen Stanič (National Institute of Biology) for facility support. Useful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript were provided by Andrej Mihevc, Stanka Šebela, and Ivan Kobal. We thank Elizabeth D. Covington for terminology assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Karst Research Institute, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Titov trg 2, 6230, Postojna, Slovenia

    Janez Mulec

  2. Radon Center, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Janja Vaupotič

  3. Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Julia Walochnik

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  1. Janez Mulec
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Correspondence to Janez Mulec.

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Mulec, J., Vaupotič, J. & Walochnik, J. Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Airborne Microorganisms as Tracers of Microclimatic Changes in the Underground (Postojna Cave, Slovenia). Microb Ecol 64, 654–667 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-012-0059-1

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