Fungal spores collected using passive spore traps Targeted loci. Fungal spores collected using passive spore traps

This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and distribution of airborne fungal communities, with a special focus on fungal pathogens in forest nurseries. To achieve this, we used fungal spore traps to capture airborne spores, employed molecular identification, and analyzed local weather data to improve infection-risk predictions for fungal pathogens. We monitored fungal communities within forest nurseries located in different geographical regions of Sweden and correlated the findings with temperature and precipitation data over two growing seasons. Fungal pathogens were identified using metabarcoding techniques. The results showed strong temporal shifts in airborne fungal communities within the growing seasons.