Rainwater microbiology
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Transcript of Rainwater microbiology
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UGC SPONSORED NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
CURENT & EMERGING TRENDS IN LIFE
SCIENCES
18 & 19 MARCH 2014
ORG, BY DEPT. OF BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY
PARVATIBAI CHOWGULE COLLEGE
OF ATRTS & SCIENCE
MARGAO
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Do Unique Stratospheric Life Forms Get A Piggy Back Ride Inside SW Monsoon Clouds
To Leave Signatures In Locally Sampled Rainwater ?
Kamat Nandkumar, Kolte Rutuja*, Dabolkar Sujata*
Dept of Botany, Goa University, Taleigao, Goa, 403206, India
Abstract
Morris et al, 2008 while stressing the importance of biometeorology as an upcoming field of
research highlighted the need of understanding microbiological dimensions of atmosphericprocesses. Research in USA (Mohler et al., 2007) and France (Brent, 2012), Canada,
Germany, Austria (Deguillaume et al, 2008) has implicated or produced evidence of
microbial life in stratosphere, storms and rain clouds. South west tropical monsoon is an
important event for ecology and economy in India and other recipient monsoon countries.
However scant attention has been paid to the microbiological aspects of tropical
stratosphere and the possible role of bioaerosols or stratospheric life forms in this mega
tropical disturbance. A humble attempt was made to test the hypothesis regarding
detection and visualization of life forms in local samples of rainwater collected directlyunder standard aseptic conditions at the open, secure Goa University campus on basis of
positive indications from a previous time series study which led to refinement of sampling
technique. The results of physicochemical and microbiological analysis are presented and
discussed with some speculations on possible origin of Inorganic, Organic components and
the detected morphological diversity of interesting life forms revealed by bright field and
phase contrast microscopy. The ecological, biological, microbiological, pathological and
public health / epidemiological implications of the findings are presented and the
importance of tropical SW monsoon related basic and advanced biometeorological studiesis highlighted to solve the riddle of microbial life forms getting a piggy back ride inside the
monsoon clouds
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monsoon clouds
AbstractMorris et al, 2008 while stressing the importance of biometeorology as an upcoming field of research highlighted the need of understanding microbiological dimensions of atmospheric processes. Research in USA
(Mohler et al., 2007) and France (Brent, 2012), Canada, Germany, Austria (Deguillaume et al, 2008) has implicated or produced evidence of microbial life in stratosphere, storms and rain clouds. South west
tropical monsoon is an important event for ecology and economy in India and other recipient monsoon countries. However scant attention has been paid to the microbiological aspects of tropical stratosphere and
the possible role of bioaerosols or stratospheric life forms in this mega tropical disturbance. A humble attempt was made to test the hypothesis regarding detection and visualization of life forms in local samples of
rainwater collected directly under standard aseptic conditions at the open, secure Goa University campus on basis of positive indications from a previous time series study which led to refinement of sampling
technique. The results of physicochemical and microbiological analysis are presented and discussed with some speculations on possible origin of Inorganic, Organic components and the detected morphological
diversity of interesting life forms revealed by bright field and phase contrast microscopy. The ecological, biological, microbiological, pathological and public health / epidemiological implications of the findings
are presented and the importance of tropical SW monsoon related basic and advanced biometeorological studies is highlighted to solve the riddle of microbial life forms getting a piggy back ride inside the
monsoon clouds.
Introduction
Unusual microbial life forms have been reported in clouds. The aim of our work was to challenge the popular romantic paradigm of rainwater falling directly from
overhead clouds as pureand undertake a preliminary empirical investigation of itsinorganic and biological components during south west monsoon in Goa taking the
benefit of open ground on Taleigao plateau where Goa University campus is located. Clouds can be defined as atmospheric air masses in which water is condensedaround particles in solid (ice crystals) or liquid form. Biological matter is found in the atmosphere in the form of living or deadorganisms. Dimmick et al. (1979), Fuzziet
al. (1997) and Sattler et al. (2001) suggested cloud droplets may provide a medium in which airborne cells can divide . Literature says because bacteria require water for
their metabolism, they are supposed to be good cloud condensation nuclei(e.g., Mhler et al.,2007, Schnell and Vali, 1972). In a changing climate, one can furthermore
suppose that even more bacteria find viable conditions in the atmosphere and, thus, may become more abundant in clouds and may be transported more widely.
Microbes and their metabolic activities could affect meteorological processes in the atmosphere both by changing cloud chemistry (Brent 2012). The field of
bioprecipitationis expanding rapidly in rest of the world but there is scanty attention paid in India. Astrobiologists are implicating stratospheric m icrobial life forms. In
this work we demonstrate that one doesnt really need rocket science to sample and analyze rainwater directly and detect interesting inorganic and microbial
components- the later probably getting a piggy back ride in the clouds whereas the former may be signature of atmospheric dust, volcanic ash, aeolian proce sses , air
transportation exhaust and we conclude that rainwater falling in Goa during SW monsoon can no more be treated as purebut full of inorganic and some potentially
dangerous and pathogenic microbial life forms. These may have wide implications in ecology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, plant and human diseases. A state wide effort
has to be launched to collect and analyze rainwater samples periodically and build a cohesive spatiotemporal picture of microbial life forms raining in Goa and promote
the field of biometeorology and RW microbiology.
Authors Work done
Cantrell and Heymsfield, 2005; Morris et
al., 2004; Szyrmer and Zawadzki, 1997
Reported Biological particles, including
certain bacteria, pollen, and decayed
organic material
Ohler ( Germany), DeMott and Vali
(USA) and Levin (Israel) 2007
Microbiology and atmospheric
processes: the role of biological particles
in cloud physics
Duce et al. 1980; Parrington et al. 1983;
Betzer et al. 1988; Uematsu et al. 2002;
Jickells et al. 2005
The intercontinental transportation of
millions of tons of desert dust annually
influences ecosystems on a global scale
Kellogg and Griffin, 2006; Burrows et al.,
2009a; Frohlich-Nowoisky et al., 2009;
Womack et al., 2010
Most airborne biomass emanates from
arid topsoil or marine sea spray
Materials and methods
Leads from previous unpublishe d work on rainwater
in GUcampus (2006 12)
Kamat Nandkumar, Kolte Rutuja*, Dabolkar Sujata*
Dept of Botany, Goa University, Taleigao, Goa, 403206, India
Results and Discussion
SW Monsoon clouds July 2013 at GU campus
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Previous work on microbiology of atmospheric processes, clouds, rainwater etc.
Several meteorological factors make microbiological
studies of rainwater from SW monsoon interesting
Rare view of formation of SW Monsoon clouds in ITCZ- Ocean-Atmosphere interface
Bioprecipitation research is in infancy in India
Monsoon was active in first week of July 2013 when rainwater samples were obtained. Rainfall intensity was about 30 mm per hour
Figures A, B, C:- The inorganic dimension of rainwater samples produced
some striking results indicating Aeolian quartz from desert storms andsignature of unknown volcanic ejecta in the forms of auriferous quartz,
metal sulphides and magnificent Gold microparticles which showed
characteristic Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). Results are consistent
with other reports (See ref.)
Figure D:- Microbial forms recovered from rainwater samples showed diverse cell morphologies- Coccoid,
Bacilloid bacterial cells; cyanobacteria and numerous fungal spores and hyphae- all these getting piggy backride in monsoon clouds and landing with rainfall
Figure A Microdebris from volcanic ejecta- silica and black sulphide
assemblages
Figure B Stunning forms of Quartz possibly or Aeolian origin from
desert storms recovered in rainwater consistent with results elsewhere
of intercontinental transport of such forms Figure E Time lapse and BF, DF images indica te motility of unidentified microbial form perhaps unique to
its ephemeral existence in clouds. Such forms raining down may have implications for public health
Four locations and six samples yielding total 1200 ml rainwater on microscopic analysis produced evidence of
inorganic and microbial forms as indicated by photomicrographs in Figures A, B, C (Inorganic) and D, E (Microbial)
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