The Aerobiome - The Hidden Biology of Air

Most microbiome research focuses on soil, oceans, or hosts. But the atmosphere itself harbors diverse communities of bacteria and fungi that move between ecosystems. This episode explores a recent mBio study comparing airborne microbial communities above a subalpine forest and a grassland in Colorado. The conversation unpacks what the "aerobiome" is, how scientists actually sample microbes from the air, and why height, time of day, and season matter. The study reveals striking differences between fungi and bacteria, with fungi showing strong site-specific structure and environmental sensitivity, while bacteria appear more ubiquitous. They also discuss "vertical filtering," long-distance dispersal, and what these findings mean for pathogen spread, ecosystem connectivity, and climate change. The atmosphere is not empty space, it is an active conduit connecting microbial life across landscapes. Guests: Carolyn R. Cornell, Ph.D., Department of Agricultural BiologyColorado State University Jane E. Stewart, Ph.D., Department of Agricultural BiologyColorado State University Links:  Spatiotemporal patterns of airborne microbial communities in forest and grassland ecosystems. This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by mBio® and hosted by mBio Editor in Chief, Marvin Whiteley, Ph.D.  This episode is brought to you by the mBio journal available at https://asm.org/mBio.  If you plan to publish in mBio, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit https://asm.org/joinasm to sign up. Visit https://asm.org/mBio to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. Follow mBio on twitter at https://x.com/mbiojournal.