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Abstract
We investigated phototrophic microorganisms dwelling on stone walls made of Piperno, a volcanic rock frequently used as construction material in historical buildings in Naples, Italy. Biofilms from three historical buildings in the center of the city and from a natural Piperno quarry located in a suburban area were examined. Light and electron microscopy, and molecular biology techniques allowed the identification of 17 species belonging to Cyanobacteria, Rhodophyta, Bacillariophyta, and Chlorophyta. Cyanobacteria were the dominant components in all the biofilms. No significant differences in microbial composition were observed for biofilms collected in autumn and spring, with minor exceptions for the quarry samples, where environmental conditions were relatively more stable than in the city. Results are discussed in comparison with information on microbial communities dwelling on other kinds of substrata commonly used in historical buildings in the Neapolitan area.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge Prof. Vincenzo Morra (Department of Earth Sciences Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Italy) for the geological information, Drs Barbara Arfè (University of Naples, Suor Orsola Benincasa) and Antonella Giorgio for their support in collecting and analysis of samples, Dr Sergio Sorbo for SEM analysis, and Luca Paino for help in the sequencing service (Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Italy). A.Z. Miller acknowledges the support from the Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme (PIEF-GA-2012-328689- DECAVE).