Influence of Environmental Factors on the Concentration of Fungal Spores in the Air

This review examines the ecological aspects of studying fungi (including those pathogenic to humans) in atmospheric aerosols. The concentration of fungal spores in the atmosphere of various regions of the Earth is the result of complex interactions between abiotic and biotic environmental factors. The most significant parameters are temperature, dew point, relative humidity, and wind speed. The spore season is determined by meteorological conditions by more than 40%. The sensitivity of moisture-loving and dry-spore-forming micromycetes to weather changes exhibits statistically significant differences. For example, maximum wind speed and minimum relative humidity are identified as the most effective independent variables for predicting Alternaria spore concentrations in the air. Results obtained over a long period of the study for the West Siberian region are examined in more detail.