AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
Variability of Primary Biological Aerosol Particles at Different Growth Stages of a Model Grass
SWARUP CHINA, Daniel Veghte, Amir Ahkami, Johannes Weis, Libor Kovarik, Mary Gilles, Alexander Laskin, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Abstract Number: 383 Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract Biogenic aerosols are an integral part of the atmosphere-biosphere interface and significantly impact the environment and Earth’s climate. Primary biological aerosol particles such as pollen, fungal spores, bacteria, and fragments of plant debris, are emitted directly from the biosphere into the atmosphere. Brachypodium (B.) distachyon is a C3 (produce 3-carbon molecules as a first product of carbon fixation) grass, that is considered as a model both for bioenergy grasses and for important food crops such as wheat. B. distachyon serves as a tractable plant to study the effects of variable environmental conditions and global climate change on crop yields. In this study, B. distachyon accession of a particular genotype (Bd21) was grown in chambers under controlled conditions. Emissions of primary biological aerosol particles were monitored at seven principal growth stages starting from leaf development to senescence using an array of chemical imaging and micro-spectroscopic techniques. We observed that biological particles, including several species of bacteria and fungal spores, are most abundant during life stages of flowering and fruit development. We further investigated the chemistry of the biological particles emitted during different growth stages. Our findings indicate that depending upon the developmental stage of B. distachyon, the environmental impact of emitted biological particle is highly variable.