Airborne DNA reveals predictable spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi
Authors: Abrego Nerea , Furneaux Brendan , Hardwick Bess , Somervuo Panu , Palorinne Isabella , Aguilar-Trigueros Carlos A. , Andrew Nigel R. , Babiy Ulyana V. , Bao Tan , Bazzano Gisela , Bondarchuk Svetlana N. , Bonebrake Timothy C. , Brennan Georgina L. , Bret-Harte Syndonia , Bässler Claus , Cagnolo Luciano , Cameron Erin K. , Chapurlat Elodie , Creer Simon , D’Acqui Luigi P. , de Vere Natasha , Desprez-Loustau Marie-Laure , Dongmo Michel A. K. , Jacobsen Ida B. Dyrholm , Fisher Brian L. , Flores de Jesus Miguel , Gilbert Gregory S. , Griffith Gareth W. , Gritsuk Anna A. , Gross Andrin , Grudd Håkan , Halme Panu , Hanna Rachid , Hansen Jannik , Hansen Lars Holst , Hegbe Apollon D. M. T. , Hill Sarah , Hogg Ian D. , Hultman Jenni , Hyde Kevin D. , Hynson Nicole A. , Ivanova Natalia , Karisto Petteri , Kerdraon Deirdre , Knorre Anastasia , Krisai-Greilhuber Irmgard , Kurhinen Juri , Kuzmina Masha , Lecomte Nicolas , Lecomte Erin , Loaiza Viviana , Lundin Erik , Meire Alexander , Mešić Armin , Miettinen Otto , Monkhouse Norman , Mortimer Peter , Müller Jörg , Nilsson R. Henrik , Nonti Puani Yannick C. , Nordén Jenni , Nordén Björn , Norros Veera , Paz Claudia , Pellikka Petri , Pereira Danilo , Petch Geoff , Pitkänen Juha-Matti , Popa Flavius , Potter Caitlin , Purhonen Jenna , Pätsi Sanna , Rafiq Abdullah , Raharinjanahary Dimby , Rakos Niklas , Rathnayaka Achala R. , Raundrup Katrine , Rebriev Yury A. , Rikkinen Jouko , Rogers Hanna M. K. , Rogovsky Andrey , Rozhkov Yuri , Runnel Kadri , Saarto Annika , Savchenko Anton , Schlegel Markus , Schmidt Niels Martin , Seibold Sebastian , Skjøth Carsten , Stengel Elisa , Sutyrina Svetlana V. , Syvänperä Ilkka , Tedersoo Leho , Timm Jebidiah , Tipton Laura , Toju Hirokazu , Uscka-Perzanowska Maria , van der Bank Michelle , van der Bank F. Herman , Vandenbrink Bryan , Ventura Stefano , Vignisson Solvi R. , Wang Xiaoyang , Weisser Wolfgang W. , Wijesinghe Subodini N. , Wright S. Joseph , Yang Chunyan , Yorou Nourou S. , Young Amanda , Yu Douglas W. , Zakharov Evgeny V. , Hebert Paul D. N. , Roslin Tomas , Ovaskainen Otso 
Published: July 2024

Fungi are among the most diverse and ecologically important kingdoms in life. However, the distributional ranges of fungi remain largely unknown as do the ecological mechanisms that shape their distributions1,2. To provide an integrated view of the spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi, we implemented a globally distributed standardized aerial sampling of fungal spores3. The vast majority of operational taxonomic units were detected within only one climatic zone, and the spatiotemporal patterns of species richness and community composition were mostly explained by annual mean air temperature. Tropical regions hosted the highest fungal diversity except for lichenized, ericoid mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi, which reached their peak diversity in temperate regions. The sensitivity in climatic responses was associated with phylogenetic relatedness, suggesting that large-scale distributions of some fungal groups are partially constrained by their ancestral niche. There was a strong phylogenetic signal in seasonal sensitivity, suggesting that some groups of fungi have retained their ancestral trait of sporulating for only a short period. Overall, our results show that the hyperdiverse kingdom of fungi follows globally highly predictable spatial and temporal dynamics, with seasonality in both species richness and community composition increasing with latitude. Our study reports patterns resembling those described for other major groups of organisms, thus making a major contribution to the long-standing debate on whether organisms with a microbial lifestyle follow the global biodiversity paradigms known for macroorganisms4,5.