Research Focus
Biological particles can strongly influence the
effects of aerosols on atmospheric chemistry and physics, climate, and public
health. So far, however, the abundance, diversity, sources, properties, and
effects of biological particles in the atmosphere have not yet been well
characterized and quantified. This is largely due to a lack of efficient
measurement methods. In most earlier studies microscopy, protein staining, or
the cultivation of viable airborne microorganisms have been applied. These
methods, however, do not allow a comprehensive characterisation of the origin
of biological materials independent of particle size, integrity, and viability.
In contrast, the application of molecular genetic tools for the analysis of DNA
offers a very straightforward way to identify the origin of biological matter
from both living and dead, complete and fragmented organisms. Moreover, DNA
analysis in combination with additional molecular methods also provides the
possibility of estimating the abundance and diversity of different species. In
our research project we therefore analyse the biological particles from various
regions world wide with molecular genetic tools to identify their diversity,
abundance and taxonomic affiliation.
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