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Cattò C, Mu A, Moreau JW, Wang N, Cappitelli F, Strugnell R. Biofilm colonization of stone materials from an Australian outdoor sculpture: Importance of geometry and exposure. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 339:117948. [PMID: 37080094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The safeguarding of Australian outdoor stone heritage is currently limited by a lack of information concerning mechanisms responsible for the degradation of the built heritage. In this study, the bacterial community colonizing the stone surface of an outdoor sculpture located at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Melbourne was analysed, providing an overview of the patterns of microbial composition associated with stone in an anthropogenic context. Illumina MiSeq 16S rRNA gene sequencing together with confocal laser microscope investigations highlighted the bacterial community was composed of both phototrophic and chemotrophic microorganisms characteristic of stone and soil, and typical of arid, salty and urban environments. Cardinal exposure, position and surface geometry were the most important factors in determining the structure of the microbial community. The North-West exposed areas on the top of the sculpture with high light exposure gave back the highest number of sequences and were dominated by Cyanobacteria. The South and West facing in middle and lower parts of the sculpture received significantly lower levels of radiation and were dominated by Actinobacteria. Proteobacteria were observed as widespread on the sculpture. This pioneer research provided an in-depth investigation of the microbial community structure on a deteriorated artistic stone in the Australian continent and provides information for the identification of deterioration-associated microorganisms and/or bacteria beneficial for stone preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Cattò
- Department of Food Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, At the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Andre Mu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, At the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, At the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - John W Moreau
- School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom; School of Geographical, Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
| | - Nancy Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, At the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Francesca Cappitelli
- Department of Food Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
| | - Richard Strugnell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, At the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Villa F, Wu YL, Zerboni A, Cappitelli F. In Living Color: Pigment-Based Microbial Ecology At the Mineral-Air Interface. Bioscience 2022; 72:1156-1175. [PMID: 36451971 PMCID: PMC9699719 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biac091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Pigment-based color is one of the most important phenotypic traits of biofilms at the mineral-air interface (subaerial biofilms, SABs), because it reflects the physiology of the microbial community. Because color is the hallmark of all SABs, we argue that pigment-based color could convey the mechanisms that drive microbial adaptation and coexistence across different terrestrial environments and link phenotypic traits to community fitness and ecological dynamics. Within this framework, we present the most relevant microbial pigments at the mineral-air interface and discuss some of the evolutionary landscapes that necessitate pigments as adaptive strategies for resource allocation and survivability. We report several pigment features that reflect SAB communities' structure and function, as well as pigment ecology in the context of microbial life-history strategies and coexistence theory. Finally, we conclude the study of pigment-based ecology by presenting its potential application and some of the key challenges in the research.
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Sanmartín P, Noya-Pintos D, Fuentes E, Pozo-Antonio JS. Cracks in consolidants containing TiO 2 as a habitat for biological colonization: A case of quaternary bioreceptivity. MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING. C, MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS 2021; 124:112058. [PMID: 33947552 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2021.112058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The recently proposed concept of quaternary bioreceptivity applies to substrates treated with coating materials and it is considered in the present study with the alga Bracteacoccus minor and the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. onto granite specimens treated with ethyl silicate and nano-sized silica doped with different amounts of TiO2 (0, 0.5, 1 and 3 wt%). The findings showed a lack of correlation between the amount of TiO2 and the level of colonization (main bioreceptivity estimator) to the presence of cracks on the surface, which annul the biocidal power of TiO2. Crack formation, which depends on the mechanical properties, greatly influences the bioreceptivity of the material. Thus, the cracks provided anchor points where water is retained, in turn strongly influencing the early stages of colonization kinetics, to a greater extent than the biocidal power of TiO2, which will probably increase as the biofilm develops over the entire surface. In addition, although the cracks were more abundant and wider in the ethyl silicate-based consolidant, the nano-sized silica provided better anchoring points, making the material treated with the corresponding consolidant more bioreceptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Sanmartín
- Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - D Noya-Pintos
- Escola Superior de Conservación e Restauración de Bens Culturais de Galicia, 36002 Pontevedra, Spain
| | - E Fuentes
- Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - J S Pozo-Antonio
- CINTECX, GESSMin Group, Departamento de Enxeñaría dos Recursos Naturais e Medio Ambiente, Escola de Enxeñaría de Minas e Enerxía, University of Vigo, Vigo 36310, Spain
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Influence of Environment on Microbial Colonization of Historic Stone Buildings with Emphasis on Cyanobacteria. HERITAGE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/heritage3040081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Microbial cells that produce biofilms, or patinas, on historic buildings are affected by climatic changes, mainly temperature, rainfall and air pollution, all of which will alter over future decades. This review considers the colonization of stone buildings by microorganisms and the effects that the resultant biofilms have on the degradation of the structure. Conservation scientists require a knowledge of the potential effects of microorganisms, and the subsequent growth of higher organisms such as vascular plants, in order to formulate effective control strategies. The vulnerability of various structural materials (“bioreceptivity”) and the ways in which the environmental factors of temperature, precipitation, wind-driven rain and air pollution influence microbial colonization are discussed. The photosynthetic microorganisms, algae and cyanobacteria, are acknowledged to be the primary colonizers of stone surfaces and many cyanobacterial species are able to survive climate extremes; hence special attention is paid to this group of organisms. Since cyanobacteria require only light and water to grow, can live endolithically and are able to survive most types of stress, they may become even more important as agents of stone cultural property degradation in the future.
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