<p>The soils mycobiota of Apatity was first characterized. Significant differences in quantitative and qualitative parameters of urban soils fungal complexes of the Subarctic zone in comparison with zonal soils were revealed. It was shown that the biomass of fungi in the soil of the residential area of Umbric Leptic Entic Podzol (Arenic, Neocambic) is 0.18 – 0.20 mg/g, in the background forest soil Folic Leptic Albic Podzol (Arenic) – 0.31 mg/g. The smallest values (0.04 – 0.08 mg / g) are typical for areas with no vegetation and a densely compacted surface (playground - Leptic Entic Podzol (Arenic, Neocambic, Technic), unpaved pedestrian walkway – Umbric Leptic Entic Podzol (Arenic, Neocambic).</p><p>In the soils of recreational and forest areas, fungi were mainly in the form of mycelium (66-70% of the total biomass), while in the soils of residential and agricultural areas in the form of spores. Spores are mainly represented by small forms up to 3 microns. The amount of large spores is insignificant, but they were mainly detected in the soil of the residential area.</p><p>The number of copies of ITS rRNA genes of fungi in soils of different functional zones varies from 4.0×10<sup>9</sup> to 1.14×10<sup>10 </sup>copies/g of soil, with the highest values in the natural Podzol of the forest zone and Podzol of the unpaved pedestrian walkway.</p><p>The number of micromycetes CFU in the upper soil horizon ranges from 1×10<sup>3</sup> to 9×10<sup>4</sup> CFU/g of soil, reaching maximum values in the soil of the Umbric Leptic Entic Podzol recreation zone (Arenic, Neocambic, Technic). The features of cultivated forms of micromycetes distribution on the soil profile in different functional zones were revealed: in the Podzol of the residential area, the maximum accumulation of fungi was noted in the lower horizons, while in the soil of the recreational, agricultural and forest areas, their maximum number was noted in the top horizon. However, the first two differed from the background one in the absence of a second maximum accumulation of micromycetes in the illuvial Bs horizon.</p><p>In general, urban soils were characterized by a low species diversity of micromycetes complexes and a specific structure significantly different from the background soils. The genus Penicillium is characterized by maximum species diversity. Trichocladium griseum and Penicillium dierckxii dominate in the communities of microscopic fungi in the soil of the residential zone, P. melinii in the soil of the recreational areas and in the playground, in the soil of agricultural area Plaggic Entic Podzol (Arenic) - micromycetes of the genus Fusarium, and in the background forest soil - P. decumbens.</p>

For the first time, a mycological analysis of outdoor urban environment (air, leaves, sealed surfaces) was carried in the cities of subarctic (Murmansk) and temperate (Moscow) climatic zones. The chemical composition of dust deposited on leaves of dominant tree species was taken as an indicator of the air quality. Assessment of the complex impact of factors (climate zone, type of substrate, anthropogenic load) on the quantitative and qualitative parameters of mycobiome was performed. Compared to Moscow, Murmansk was characterized by an increased number and concentrations of pollutants in the deposited dust. The number of culturable airborne fungi in Murmansk was substantially lower than in Moscow. Half of the species belonged to the opportunistic in both cities. Most dangerous opportunistic fungi were absent in the air of recreational zones but present on leaves surface and in road dust in all assessed zones of the cities. Dust chemical composition affected the diversity of fungi species. While the relationship of biological parameters with concentration of potentially toxic metals was generally negative, Cd increased the fraction of opportunistic fungi in road dust. The study revealed an importance of substrate in determining the sensitivity of outdoor mycobiome to pollution and highlighted its biological characteristics sensitive to climate.

The phylloplane is an integrated part of green infrastructure which interacts with plant health. Taxonomic characterization of the phylloplane with the aim to link it to ecosystem functioning under anthropogenic pressure is not sufficient because only active microorganisms drive biochemical processes. Activity of the phylloplane remains largely overlooked. We aimed to study the interactions among the biological characteristics of the phylloplane: taxonomic diversity, functional diversity and activity, and the pollution grade. Leaves of Betula pendula were sampled in Moscow at increasing distances from the road. For determination of phylloplane activity and functional diversity, a MicroResp tool was utilized. Taxonomic diversity of the phylloplane was assessed with a combination of microorganism cultivation and molecular techniques. Increase of anthropogenic load resulted in higher microbial respiration and lower DNA amount, which could be viewed as relative inefficiency of phylloplane functioning in comparison to less contaminated areas. Taxonomic diversity declined with road vicinity, similar to the functional diversity pattern. The content of Zn in leaf dust better explained the variation in phylloplane activity and the amount of DNA. Functional diversity was linked to variation in nutrient content. The fraction of pathogenic fungi of the phylloplane was not correlated with any of the studied elements, while it was significantly high at the roadsides. The bacterial classes Gammaproteobacteria and Cytophagia, as well as the Dothideomycetes class of fungi, are exposed to the maximal effect of distance from the highway. This study demonstrated the sensitivity of the phylloplane to road vicinity, which combines the effects of contaminants (mainly Zn according to this study) and potential stressful air microclimatic conditions (e.g., low relative air humidity, high temperature, and UV level). Microbial activity and taxonomic diversity of the phylloplane could be considered as an additional tool for bioindication.

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