AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
Diversity and Abundance of Microorganisms in Individual Raindrops Isolated from Natural Precipitation Events
REGINA HANLON, Ellen Garcia, Osman Karatum, Linsey Marr, David Schmale, Virginia Tech
Abstract Number: 284 Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract Precipitation samples collected at or near the surface of the earth are usually composite samples of many different raindrops. Little is known about the abiotic and biotic components found within individual raindrops. We used a liquid nitrogen bath to collect and isolate individual raindrops from a series of natural rain events. The raindrops fell into the bath, froze instantaneously, and were recovered in a sterile colander placed at the bottom of the bath. The mean droplet volume observed across all of the natural rain events was 7.6 μL (+/- 0.41). Twenty eight percent (40/143) of the natural raindrops isolated contained culturable microbes. Cell counts with an ImageStream® Mark II flow cytometer showed that a single raindrop (10 μl) contained over 1600 fluorescent objects, many of which were bioaerosols. Our ongoing work aims to elucidate the diversity and abundance of microorganisms in natural rain events. By isolating and studying individual raindrops, we hope to increase our understanding of the specific bioaerosols that may be drivers of precipitation processes.