Investigation of fungi diversity in airborne dust and their sources identification in Khuzestan province

Background and Objective: Considering the fact that Iran is located in semi-arid climate and the harmful effects of dust storms on different ecosystems, this study aimed to identify and locate dust storms using fungal bio-aerosols (spores) and HYSPLIT model in southwestern region of Iran. Materials and Methods: MODIS satellite images and HYSPLIT model were used to investigate the temporal changes of dust masses entering the Khuzestan province.  Sampling was carried out from dust storms in Abadan and Khorramshahr cities and from the soil of the dried parts of Hur al-Azim and Shadegan wetlands in a two-month period (from May to July 2019). Results: The results of numerical modeling show that Abadan and Khorramshahr cities were affected by dust storms of internal origin (from Hur-al-Azim wetland). After isolation of bioaerosols from air and soil samples, a total of 6 fungal genera were identified in soil samples and 6 genera in dust samples of internal origin by PCR-Sequencing method. Talaromyces, Alternaria, Penicillium and Aspergillus were identified as the predominant genera fungi in soil and air samples. Conclusion: With 70% similarity of fungi found in soil and air samples, it can be concluded that the main source of fungi in Abadan and Khorramshahr is Hur al-Azim wetland.