What's in the air? Preliminary analyses of Hawaiian airborne algae and land plant spores reveal a diverse and abundant flora

Abstract

Abstract:The airborne algae of Oahu, Hawaii was studied along a transect crossing from the leeward to the windward side of the Koolau Mountain Range in summer 2013. Algae were collected on agarized medium in petri dishes from a car window as the vehicle drove from Honolulu to Kailua, Oahu, through an elevation gradient of > 360 m and a rainfall gradient of c. 900–3150 mm yr−1. Light microscopy and molecular methods [18S ribosomal (r)RNA gene, 16S rRNA gene, and UPA sequences] were used to characterize a total of 97 operational taxonomic units from the transect. The airborne algal flora of the transect was dominated by cyanobacteria, followed by chlorophycean green algae, diatoms, and ferns and liverworts. This study is the first in Hawaii to incorporate molecular techniques into the identification of airborne algae.Key Words:: 16S rRNA gene18S rRNA geneAirborne algaeDispersalHawaiiUPA (Universal Plastid Amplicon) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis research was funded by a grant from the US National Science Foundation (DEB-0841734). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Support for ZJL was provided by the University of Hawaii's Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentorship Program, funded by the National Science Foundation. We thank Pauleen Fredrick and Amy Havens for assistance with field collecting, and Rex Lowe for his help in identifying diatoms.SUPPLEMENTARY DATASupplementary data associated with this article can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/10.2216/14-059.1.s1.