Metagenomic analysis of near-surface atmosphere in Singapore

In this study, we conducted metagenomic analysis on DNA isolated from the near-surface air on campus grounds over ten months. We show for the first time the outdoor air microbiome of western Singapore at the species level. Eukaryota was the dominant kingdom with numerous contaminating insect reads....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tan, Ghim Yeow
Other Authors: Stephan Christoph Schuster
Format: Final Year Project (FYP)
Language:English
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10356/71506
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author Tan, Ghim Yeow
author2 Stephan Christoph Schuster
author_facet Stephan Christoph Schuster
Tan, Ghim Yeow
author_sort Tan, Ghim Yeow
collection NTU
description In this study, we conducted metagenomic analysis on DNA isolated from the near-surface air on campus grounds over ten months. We show for the first time the outdoor air microbiome of western Singapore at the species level. Eukaryota was the dominant kingdom with numerous contaminating insect reads. We discovered evidence of a core microbiome consisting of mainly fungi, some bacteria and a few higher plants. The fungi identified were mainly saprophytic species or plant pathogens. The bacteria were usually species first isolated from soil. Due to the proximity of wooded areas to the sampling site, the results suggest that the air microbiome was very endemic and influenced by short distance wind. There was weak positive correlation between the abundance of Eutypa lata and Schizophyllum commune and the amount of rainfall (p<0.001). There was weak positive correlation between temperature and bacteria diversity during the afternoon sampling (p<0.01). In general, we found little statistical significance in the correlation between the abiotic parameters measured and species diversity. Overall, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of outdoor air metagenomics using Coriolis air samplers. This foundational study of the local outdoor air microbiome will be important in guiding future experiments.
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spelling ntu-10356/715062023-02-28T18:01:09Z Metagenomic analysis of near-surface atmosphere in Singapore Tan, Ghim Yeow Stephan Christoph Schuster School of Biological Sciences Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology::Microorganisms In this study, we conducted metagenomic analysis on DNA isolated from the near-surface air on campus grounds over ten months. We show for the first time the outdoor air microbiome of western Singapore at the species level. Eukaryota was the dominant kingdom with numerous contaminating insect reads. We discovered evidence of a core microbiome consisting of mainly fungi, some bacteria and a few higher plants. The fungi identified were mainly saprophytic species or plant pathogens. The bacteria were usually species first isolated from soil. Due to the proximity of wooded areas to the sampling site, the results suggest that the air microbiome was very endemic and influenced by short distance wind. There was weak positive correlation between the abundance of Eutypa lata and Schizophyllum commune and the amount of rainfall (p<0.001). There was weak positive correlation between temperature and bacteria diversity during the afternoon sampling (p<0.01). In general, we found little statistical significance in the correlation between the abiotic parameters measured and species diversity. Overall, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of outdoor air metagenomics using Coriolis air samplers. This foundational study of the local outdoor air microbiome will be important in guiding future experiments. Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences 2017-05-17T05:36:39Z 2017-05-17T05:36:39Z 2017 Final Year Project (FYP) http://hdl.handle.net/10356/71506 en Nanyang Technological University 37 p. application/pdf
spellingShingle DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology::Microorganisms
Tan, Ghim Yeow
Metagenomic analysis of near-surface atmosphere in Singapore
title Metagenomic analysis of near-surface atmosphere in Singapore
title_full Metagenomic analysis of near-surface atmosphere in Singapore
title_fullStr Metagenomic analysis of near-surface atmosphere in Singapore
title_full_unstemmed Metagenomic analysis of near-surface atmosphere in Singapore
title_short Metagenomic analysis of near-surface atmosphere in Singapore
title_sort metagenomic analysis of near surface atmosphere in singapore
topic DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology::Microorganisms
url http://hdl.handle.net/10356/71506
work_keys_str_mv AT tanghimyeow metagenomicanalysisofnearsurfaceatmosphereinsingapore