rainwater microbiology

5/28/2018 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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