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Laboratory-Induced Endolithic Growth in Calcarenites: Biodeteriorating Potential Assessment

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

This study is aimed to assess the formation of photosynthetic biofilms on and within different natural stone materials, and to analyse their biogeophysical and biogeochemical deterioration potential. This was performed by means of artificial colonisation under laboratory conditions during 3 months. Monitoring of microbial development was performed by image analysis and biofilm biomass estimation by chlorophyll extraction technique. Microscopy investigations were carried out to study relationships between microorganisms and the mineral substrata. The model applied in this work corroborated a successful survival strategy inside endolithic microhabitat, using natural phototrophic biofilm cultivation, composed by cyanobacteria and algae, which increased intrinsic porosity by active mineral dissolution. We observed the presence of mineral-like iron derivatives (e.g. maghemite) around the cells and intracellularly and the precipitation of hausmannite, suggesting manganese transformations related to the biomineralisation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, Portugal, with a doctoral grant (SFRH/BD/21481/2005) and partially financed by the CEPGIST FCT subproject DECASTONE. The projects TCP CSD2007-00058 and 2007PT0041 are acknowledged. We also thank F. Pinto (CCMA, CSIC) for technical assistance and CA and JW thanks for support by grant CGL2007-62875/BOS from the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain and by PIE-631A from CSIC, Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Conservação e Restauro, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Monte de Caparica, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    A. Z. Miller

  2. Centro de Petrologia e Geoquímica, Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal

    A. Z. Miller, A. Maurício & A. Dionísio

  3. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, CSIC, Av. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012, Sevilla, Spain

    M. A. Rogerio-Candelera, L. Laiz & C. Saiz-Jimenez

  4. Instituto de Recursos Naturales, Centro de Ciencias Medioambientales, CSIC, Serrano, 115 bis, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    J. Wierzchos & C. Ascaso

  5. Centro de Investigação Geológica, Ordenamento e Valorização de Recursos (CIG-R), Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    M. A. Sequeira Braga

  6. Facultat de Farmacia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    M. Hernández-Mariné

  7. Vicarte, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Monte de Caparica, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    M. F. Macedo

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  1. A. Z. Miller
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  2. M. A. Rogerio-Candelera
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  7. M. Hernández-Mariné
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  8. A. Maurício
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  9. A. Dionísio
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  11. C. Saiz-Jimenez
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Correspondence to A. Z. Miller.

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Miller, A.Z., Rogerio-Candelera, M.A., Laiz, L. et al. Laboratory-Induced Endolithic Growth in Calcarenites: Biodeteriorating Potential Assessment. Microb Ecol 60, 55–68 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9666-x

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