About this Research Topic
This Research Topic “The Atmospheric Microbiota II” is intended to provide new insights about the contribution of microbial cells to the chemical composition of the atmosphere. If microbiologically-mediated processes indeed occur in the atmosphere, they modify the chemical environment, thus producing chemical signatures of these processes, e.g. biomarkers or bioproducts that reflect the in situ functioning of microorganisms, and attest of its extent and impact. These include, but are not limited to, the presence of more or less specific biochemical products (metabolites, proteins, transcripts, etc), nutrients/substrates (organics, sugars, oxidants, etc), effectors/cofactors (ATP, metals, etc) and others characteristics such as enzymatic activity, isotope ratios modifications, etc.
We are pleased to welcome contributions documenting microbial activity in the different compartments of the atmosphere (aerosols, clouds, precipitation). This topic includes the development of methods, field studies, laboratory and simulation chamber experimentations, experimental design, and other informative study that can help elucidating the functioning of microorganisms in the atmosphere, its consequences and environmental impacts at small to global scale. Reports associating biodiversity with chemical aspects, and presented in this frame, will be considered as well.
Keywords: Atmosphere, biodiversity, biomarkers, metabolism, microbial activity
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.