Characteristics of bacterial community in cloud water at Mt. Tai: similarity and disparity under polluted and non-polluted cloud episodes Min Wei 1, Caihong Xu1, Jianmin Chen1,2,*, Chao Zhu1, Jiarong Li1, Ganglin Lv 1 5 1 Environment Research Institute, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Ji’nan 250100, China 2 Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP), Fudan Tyndall Centre, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China 10 Correspondence to: JM.Chen (
[email protected]) Abstract: Bacteria are widely distributed in atmospheric aerosols and are indispensable components of clouds, playing an important role in the atmospheric hydrological cycle. However, limited information is 15 available about the bacterial community structure and function, especially for the increasing air pollution in the North China Plain. Here, we present a comprehensive characterization of bacterial community composition, function, variation and environmental influence for cloud water collected at Mt. Tai from 24 Jul to 23 Aug 2014. Using Miseq 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the highly diverse bacterial community in cloud water and the predominant phyla of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, 20 Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes were investigated. Bacteria that survive at low temperature, radiation, and poor nutrient conditions were found in cloud water, suggesting adaptation to an extreme environment. The bacterial gene functions predicted from the 16S rRNA gene using