Comparative Studies of Microbial Communities on Stone Monuments in Temperate and Semi-Arid Climates

May, Eric; Papida, Sophia; Abdulla, Hesham; Tayler, Sally; Dewedar, Ahmed

doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-4239-1_4

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Climate significantly impacted the structure of stone microbial communities with water availability, primarily in the form of precipitation and humidity, as the major driver of community variation. Water availability is the fundamental driver of life in most terrestrial environments and in the case of stone microenvironments, where stones regularly experience desiccation and rehydration cycles and may not be able to retain enough water to support microbial life (Warscheid, 1996; May et al ., ). Microbial communities of hot desert stones, which had the lowest water availability, were enriched with desiccation‐ and radiation‐tolerant bacteria, like Actinobacteria and Deinococcus‐Thermus (Eppard et al ., ; Mattimore and Battista, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Despite inhospitable conditions associated with them, stone surfaces are extreme environments that support microbial life. Many stones undergo extended periods of desiccation, are exposed to lethal doses of UV light from the sun, contain potentially deadly concentrations of heavy metals, and have limited access to nutrients necessary for microbial growth (Warscheid, ; Zanardini et al ., ; May et al ., ; Cockell et al ., ; Gorbushina et al ., ; Gtari et al ., ). These harsh conditions can regularly and significantly vary over time, meaning that stone‐dwelling microbes must adapt to potentially polar ranges of these stressors on stone surfaces (Gorbushina, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Elucidating the ecological networks in stone‐dwelling microbiomes

Louati

Ennis

Ghodhbane‐Gtari

et al. 2019

Environmental Microbiology

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Summary Stone surfaces are extreme environments that support microbial life. This microbial growth occurs despite unfavourable conditions associated with stone including limited sources of nutrients and water, high pH and exposure to extreme variations in temperature, humidity and irradiation. These stone‐dwelling microbes are often resistant to extreme environments including exposure to desiccation, heavy metals, UV and Gamma irradiation. Here, we report on the effects of climate and stone geochemistry on microbiomes of Roman stone ruins in North Africa. Stone microbiomes were dominated by Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria but were heavily impacted by climate variables that influenced water availability. Stone geochemistry also influenced community diversity, particularly through biologically available P, Mn and Zn. Functions associated with photosynthesis and UV protection were enriched in the metagenomes, indicating the significance of these functions for community survival on stones. Core members of the stone microbial communities were also identified and included Geodermatophilaceae, Rubrobacter, Sphingomonas and others. Our research has helped to expand the understanding of stone microbial community structure and functional capacity within the context of varying climates, geochemical properties and stone conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Elucidating the ecological networks in stone‐dwelling microbiomes

Louati

Ennis

Ghodhbane‐Gtari

et al. 2019

Environmental Microbiology

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“…Angkor Thom and the surrounding temples made of sandstone are particularly susceptible to the colonization by microorganisms due to porosity of sandstone and water retention capability. Autotrophic microorganisms, both photoautotroph and chemoautotroph, are the pioneering inhabitants on surfaces of building [ 23 ]. The identified photoautotrophic microorganisms include cyanobacteria and green microalgae widespread occurred on roof and wall of Angkor Thom and temples, which were found on historic buildings frequently [ 6 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi are commonly involved in secondary colonization at the expense of metabolites and cellular debris of the formers, and other environmental sources of organic matter. Chemoorganotrophic bacteria are most diverse and abundance both on sandstone and in biofilm (>50% clones), as a mediating factor in the microflora [ 23 ]. Fungi are important components of rock surface microbial communities [ 8 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Community Analysis of Fresh and Old Microbial Biofilms on Bayon Temple Sandstone of Angkor Thom, Cambodia

Lan

Wang

et al. 2010

Microb Ecol

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The temples of Angkor monuments including Angkor Thom and Bayon in Cambodia and surrounding countries were exclusively constructed using sandstone. They are severely threatened by biodeterioration caused by active growth of different microorganisms on the sandstone surfaces, but knowledge on the microbial community and composition of the biofilms on the sandstone is not available from this region. This study investigated the microbial community diversity by examining the fresh and old biofilms of the biodeteriorated bas-relief wall surfaces of the Bayon Temple by analysis of 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequences. The results showed that the retrieved sequences were clustered in 11 bacterial, 11 eukaryotic and two archaeal divisions with disparate communities (Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria; Alveolata, Fungi, Metazoa, Viridiplantae; Crenarchaeote, and Euyarchaeota). A comparison of the microbial communities between the fresh and old biofilms revealed that the bacterial community of old biofilm was very similar to the newly formed fresh biofilm in terms of bacterial composition, but the eukaryotic communities were distinctly different between these two. This information has important implications for understanding the formation process and development of the microbial diversity on the sandstone surfaces, and furthermore to the relationship between the extent of biodeterioration and succession of microbial communities on sandstone in tropic region.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00248-010-9707-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…We did not detect microscopic algae colonizing the tiles. Such observations are probably linked with the Mediterranean climate under which tiles were exposed, as wetter climates favor microalgal colonization [ 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methyl Potassium Siliconate and Siloxane Inhibit the Formation of Multispecies Biofilms on Ceramic Roof Tiles: Efficiency and Comparison of Two Common Water Repellents

et al. 2021

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Ceramic roof tiles are widespread marketed building materials, rapidly colonized by microorganisms that form multispecies biofilms on their surface and play crucial roles in biodeterioration processes. Coating tiles with water repellents is a pervasive industrial strategy employed to prevent liquid water penetration and slow biodeterioration. Very few studies have examined the links between the characteristics of water-repellent coatings and biofilm colonization patterns. Our work aims to compare the effects of coating tiles with two common water repellents (siliconate and siloxane) on the growth of colonizing microbes. We combined in situ exposure of tiles for over six years and macroscopic and microscopic observations with in vitro biotests, relying on the use of algal and fungal models. Our data showed that (1) tiles coated with water repellents were macroscopically less colonized by lichens (2) a significant fungal biofilm development at the microscopic scale (3) water repellents had very contrasting effects on our model strains. These data reinforce the great interest for industry to conduct more studies linking the nature of the water repellents with the composition of colonizing multispecies biofilms. The long-term objective is to improve the available water repellents and better adapt their selection to the nature of microbial colonization.

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Comparative Studies of Microbial Communities on Stone Monuments in Temperate and Semi-Arid Climates

Cited by 14 publications

References 15 publications

Elucidating the ecological networks in stone‐dwelling microbiomes

Elucidating the ecological networks in stone‐dwelling microbiomes

Microbial Community Analysis of Fresh and Old Microbial Biofilms on Bayon Temple Sandstone of Angkor Thom, Cambodia

Methyl Potassium Siliconate and Siloxane Inhibit the Formation of Multispecies Biofilms on Ceramic Roof Tiles: Efficiency and Comparison of Two Common Water Repellents

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