Characteristics of atmospheric fungi in particle growth events along with new particle formation in the central North China Plain

The importance of fungi as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice-forming nuclei (IN) has been recognized for some researches. Particle growth along with new particle formation (NPF) play a joint role in modulating the CCN number concentration. Although fungi can accelerate the coalescence by large particles, the specific contribution and characteristics of atmospheric fungi for particle growth, especially during NPF events, is poorly understood. In this study, aerosol size distribution data and air samples were collected at Xingtai, a suburban site in the central North China Plain, from 1 May to 1 June 2016. Using DNA sequence-based methods, atmospheric fungal communities were identified and quantified. Significant differences in fungal communities between particle growth events along with new particle formation (PGE-NPF) and non-PGE-NPF events are found, especially for the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota phyla, and the Dothideomycetes, Saccharomycetes, and Tremellomycetes classes. At the genus level, five fungal communities were significantly different under PGE-NPF and non-PGE-NPF conditions, i.e., the Cladosporium, Capnodiales, Mrakia, Saccharomycetales and Trichocomaceae genera. The air mass source not only had an impact on NPF and the particle growth process, but also on the characteristics of the fungal communities. The fungal genus communities of Cladosporium, Capnodiales, Trichocomaceae, Mrakia, and Saccharomycetales may contribute to NPF and the particle growth process.