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A review of the nature, role and control of lithobionts on stone cultural heritage: weighing-up and managing biodeterioration and bioprotection

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Abstract

Lithobionts (rock-dwelling organisms) have been recognized as agents of aesthetic and physico-chemical deterioration of stonework. In consequence, their removal from cultural heritage stone surfaces (CHSS) is widely considered a necessary step in conservation interventions. On the other hand, lithobiontic communities, including microbial biofilms (‘biological patinas’), can help integrate CHSS with their environmental setting and enhance biodiversity. Moreover, in some cases bioprotective effects have been reported and even interpreted as potential biotechnological solutions for conservation. This paper reviews the plethora of traditional and innovative methodologies to characterize lithobionts on CHSS in terms of biodiversity, interaction with the stone substrate and impacts on durability. In order to develop the best management and conservation strategies for CHSS, such diagnosis should be acquired on a case-by-case basis, as generalized approaches are unlikely to be suitable for all lithobionts, lithologies, environmental and cultural contexts or types of stonework. Strategies to control biodeteriogenic lithobionts on CHSS should similarly be based on experimental evaluation of their efficacy, including long-term monitoring of the effects on bioreceptivity, and of their environmental safety. This review examines what is known about the efficacy of control methods based on traditional-commercial biocides, as well as those based on innovative application of substances of plant and microbial origin, and physical techniques. A framework for providing a balanced scientific assessment of the role of lithobionts on CHSS and integrating this knowledge into management and conservation decision-making is presented.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Prof. em. Ian Maddox for the kind invitation to contribute this review article and four anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions. SEFL and HV are also grateful to institutions and authorities which allowed their research work in the following heritage sites represented in Figs. 1 and 3: Residences of the Royal House of Savoy (Polo Museale del Piemonte, Italy); Archaeological Park of Seradina and Bedolina (Comune di Capo di Ponte, Valle Camonica, Italy), Soprintendenza Archeologia della Lombardia (Milano, Italy); Gardens of Boboli (Gallerie degli Uffizi, Italy); the graveyard of Gressoney-La-Trinité (Comune di Gressoney-La-Trinité, Italy); North Grotto Temple (Dunhuang Academy, China). SEFL also thanks prof. Rosanna Piervittori, dr. Enrica Matteucci (Università di Torino), dr. Ada Roccardi (Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro, Roma), and all the colleagues of the Working Group for Cultural Heritage of the Italian Lichen Society for many stimulating discussions on lichens and other lithobionts in the last two decades.

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  1. Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università degli Studi di Torino, Viale Mattioli 25, 10125, Torino, Italy

    Sergio Enrico Favero-Longo

  2. School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK

    Heather A. Viles

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Favero-Longo, S.E., Viles, H.A. A review of the nature, role and control of lithobionts on stone cultural heritage: weighing-up and managing biodeterioration and bioprotection. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 36, 100 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-020-02878-3

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