Taxonomic composition and seasonal dynamics of the air microbiome in West Siberia
Authors: Koh Yanqing
Vladimir N Kharkov
Serene Boon Yuean Lim
Cassie E Heinle
Balakrishnan N V Premkrishnan
Rikky W Purbojati
Daniela I Drautz-Moses
Sachin R Lohar
Nicolas P E Gaultier
Stephan C Schuster
Carmon Kee
Vadim A Stepanov
Ang Poh Nee
Elena S Gusareva
Journal: Scientific Reports (2020)
Discipline: Multidisciplinary
Keywords: Airborne microbial communities; West Siberia; seasonal dynamics; diel dynamics; Actinobacteria
Affiliations: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore. ., Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore., Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation, 634050.

Abstract:  Here, we describe taxonomical composition, as well as seasonal and diel dynamics of airborne microbial communities in West Siberia. A total of 78 airborne biomass samples from 39 time intervals were analysed, within a temperature range of 48 °C (26 °C to - 22 °C). We observed a 5-170-fold decrease in DNA yield extracted from the airborne biomass in winter compared to summer, nevertheless, yielding sufficient material for metagenomic analysis. The airborne microbial communities included Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota fungi as major components, as well as some Streptophyta plants. In summer, bacterial and fungal plant pathogens, and wood-rotting saprophytes were predominant. In winter, Ascomycota moulds and cold-related or stress environment bacterial species were enriched, while the fraction of wood-rotting and mushroom-forming Basidiomycota fungi was largely reduced. As recently reported for the tropical climate, the airborne microbial communities performed a diel cycle in summer, however, in winter diel dynamics were not observed. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 First of all, I am perfectly aware of the fact that air is a notoriously challenging environment for sampling and interpreting the obtained results. From this point of view any attempts to study air microbiome are very commendable. However, having sampled air only in one site does not justify claiming in the title that he article deals with  the air microbiome in West Siberiau201d!!! This title is obviously an overkill used by the authors to solicit citations, which does not strike as a very scientific approach to compose titles for research papers. But what about reviewers? And - the more pertinent point! - what about their due diligence? And, most importantly, what about the journal itself, broadcasting such incorrect, inaccurate and misleading claims? I cannot help but noting that the reference to meteorological source seems rather inadequate as it is a reference to the website for the US tourists, and hence with Fu00b0 as temperature units and inches as units for precipitation. Why not using the firsthand information from the Hydrometcenter of Russia ? Or other more serious sources instead of https: weatherspark.com developed by Cedar Lake Inc. , a small company based in the Minneapolis area, which claims that their WeatherSpark website is u201ca great resource for trip and event planning.u201d I gather that now they can add u201cand researchu201d! It is absolutely not clear from where they take the meteorological data? There are some other aspects statements in the article that are worth commenting, but I shall do it later, sticking with meteo for now. In conclusion of the article the authors state that u201cIn summer, when the atmospheric temperature and relative humidity fluctuate in a day night pattern,u2026u201d. For your knowledge, in West Siberia the atmospheric temperature and relative humidity fluctuate in a day night pattern not only in summer, but in other seasons as well, and in winter often more drastically. ,