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Coatings
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Biofilms on Cultural Heritage
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Biofilms on Cultural Heritage

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2022) | Viewed by 20720

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Beatriz Prieto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dpto. Edafoloxía e Química agrícola. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: Biodeterioration, granite, biofilm, bioreceptivity, lichens, cultural heritage, stone, cyanobacteria, color, non-destructive techniques, algae
Dr. Ana Zélia Miller

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), 41012 Sevilla, Spain; HERCULES Laboratory, University of Évora, 7000-809 Évora, Portugal
Interests: geomicrobiology; microbe–mineral interactions; biodeterioration; biofilms; bioreceptivity; biodiversity; cultural heritage; subsurface environments; volcanic caves; geochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue of Coatings on “Biofilms on Cultural Heritage”. It is amply recognized that microbial communities are truly ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as on man-made materials, including cultural heritage assets. A high microbial diversity in the form of bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, and fungi can find a suitable habitat for their growth on the surface of cultural heritage materials, such as monument stones, tiles, and wood, developing on the surfaces by forming biofilms composed of a mono- or multilayer of cells embedded in glue-like extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).

Cultural heritage assets can be a paradigm of a complex environment in which microorganisms can be confronted as it encompasses heterogeneity and is dynamic in time and space. This heterogeneity of most cultural heritage substrates is related to the numerous interactions among microbial populations and between these populations and the substrate, as well as other factors occurring in the surrounding environment. Thus, scientific approaches and conservation strategies in the field of cultural heritage have evolved over the years to reach a high level of sophistication comprising complex and multidisciplinary approaches into a still growing scientific community.

The central focus of this Special Issue is biofilms on cultural heritage. In particular, the topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Characterization techniques of biofilm–substrate interfaces;
  • Ecology and biogeochemistry of cultural heritage biofilms;
  • Biofilm-associated biodeterioration processes;
  • Strategies to control and eliminate biofilms in cultural heritage;
  • Biofilm resilience.

Dr. Beatriz Prieto
Dr. Ana Zélia Miller
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Biofilms
  • Biodeterioration
  • Biodiversity
  • Cultural heritage

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1645 KiB  
Article
Examining the Potential of Enzyme-Based Detergents to Remove Biofouling from Limestone Heritage
by Laurenz Schröer, Géraldine Fiers, Maxim Deprez, Nico Boon, Veerle Cnudde, Lander Soens and Tim De Kock
Coatings 2022, 12(3), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12030375 - 11 Mar 2022
Viewed by 2645
Abstract
Commonwealth war cemeteries commemorate the fallen of both world wars. Every casualty is remembered with a memorial or on a headstone. However, the headstones need to be maintained extensively, as microorganisms easily colonise them, affecting legibility and the stone substrate in the longer [...] Read more.
Commonwealth war cemeteries commemorate the fallen of both world wars. Every casualty is remembered with a memorial or on a headstone. However, the headstones need to be maintained extensively, as microorganisms easily colonise them, affecting legibility and the stone substrate in the longer term. In the past, pesticides and other chemicals were popular to clean headstones, but due to raised environmental concerns, new treatment strategies are necessary. Within conservation science, enzymes have emerged as a popular tool for restoration. However, studies related to the use of enzymes for stone conservation are limited. Within this preliminary study, we applied commercially available enzyme-based treatments on biofouled natural building stones in the laboratory and in situ. Photography and spectrophotometry were used to monitor the effect of the treatment. The application of enzymes resulted in rapid disintegration of biological pigments, whereas visual improvement occurred more gradually. The successful application of enzymes suggests their potential to replace pesticides as the principal cleaning agent for headstones and natural building stones in a more general fashion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms on Cultural Heritage)
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17 pages, 2813 KiB  
Article
On the Biodiversity and Biodeteriogenic Activity of Microbial Communities Present in the Hypogenic Environment of the Escoural Cave, Alentejo, Portugal
by Ana Teresa Caldeira, Nick Schiavon, Guilhem Mauran, Cátia Salvador, Tânia Rosado, José Mirão and António Candeias
Coatings 2021, 11(2), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11020209 - 11 Feb 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3525
Abstract
Hypogenic caves represent unique environments for the development of specific microbial communities that need to be studied. Caves with rock art pose an additional challenge due to the fragility of the paintings and engravings and to microbial colonization which may induce chemical, mechanical [...] Read more.
Hypogenic caves represent unique environments for the development of specific microbial communities that need to be studied. Caves with rock art pose an additional challenge due to the fragility of the paintings and engravings and to microbial colonization which may induce chemical, mechanical and aesthetic alterations. Therefore, it is essential to understand the communities that thrive in these environments and to monitor the activity and effects on the host rock in order to better preserve and safeguard these ancestral artforms. This study aims at investigating the Palaeolithic representations found in the Escoural Cave (Alentejo, Portugal) and their decay features. These prehistoric artworks, dating back up to 50,000 B.P., are altered due to environmental conditions and microbial activity inside the cave. Microbial cultivation methods combined with culture-independent techniques, biomarkers’ viability assays and host rock analysis allowed us to better understand the microbial biodiversity and biodeteriogenic activity within the hypogenic environment of this important cave site. This study is part of a long-term monitoring program envisaged to understand the effect of this biocolonisation and to understand the population dynamics that thrive in this hypogean environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms on Cultural Heritage)
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20 pages, 9149 KiB  
Article
Surface Active Ionic Liquids Based Coatings as Subaerial Anti-Biofilms for Stone Built Cultural Heritage
by Filomena De Leo, Alessia Marchetta, Gioele Capillo, Antonino Germanà, Patrizia Primerano, Sandra Lo Schiavo and Clara Urzì
Coatings 2021, 11(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11010026 - 28 Dec 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3690
Abstract
New surface active ionic liquids (SAILs), based on cholinium cations and dodecylbenzenesulfonate as anion, have been synthesized and their potential application as antimicrobial colonization agents on cultural heritage (CH)stone materials investigated. The biocidal activity and antifouling capabilities were, preliminarily, evaluated by a screening [...] Read more.
New surface active ionic liquids (SAILs), based on cholinium cations and dodecylbenzenesulfonate as anion, have been synthesized and their potential application as antimicrobial colonization agents on cultural heritage (CH)stone materials investigated. The biocidal activity and antifouling capabilities were, preliminarily, evaluated by a screening on pure Gram (+) and Gram (−) bacteria strain cultures, yeasts, hyphomycetes and single-celled algae. Tests on stone materials (marble and tufa) vs. a stabilized community, constituted by a mixture of microbial strains, revealed that some SAILs display both antimicrobial and preventive antibiofilm action against new colonization. Analogous tests have been performed on the cholinium@halide precursors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms on Cultural Heritage)
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15 pages, 2176 KiB  
Article
Colored Microbial Coatings in Show Caves from the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador): First Microbiological Approach
by Ana Z. Miller, Angela M. García-Sánchez, Mathilda L. Coutinho, Manuel F. Costa Pereira, Fernando Gázquez, José M. Calaforra, Paolo Forti, Jesús Martínez-Frías, Theofilos Toulkeridis, Ana T. Caldeira and Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez
Coatings 2020, 10(11), 1134; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10111134 - 22 Nov 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4221
Abstract
The Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) have a unique ecosystem on Earth due to their outstanding biodiversity and geological features. This also extends to their subterranean heritage, such as volcanic caves, with plenty of secondary mineral deposits, including coralloid-type speleothems and moonmilk deposits. In this [...] Read more.
The Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) have a unique ecosystem on Earth due to their outstanding biodiversity and geological features. This also extends to their subterranean heritage, such as volcanic caves, with plenty of secondary mineral deposits, including coralloid-type speleothems and moonmilk deposits. In this study, the bacterial communities associated with speleothems from two lava tubes of Santa Cruz Island were investigated. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was carried out for the morphological characterization and detection of microbial features associated with moonmilk and coralloid speleothems from Bellavista and Royal Palm Caves. Microbial cells, especially filamentous bacteria in close association with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), were abundant in both types of speleothems. Furthermore, reticulated filaments and Actinobacteria-like cells were observed by FESEM. The analysis of 16S rDNA revealed the presence of different bacterial phylotypes, many of them associated with the carbon, nitrogen, iron and sulfur cycles, and some others with pollutants. This study gives insights into subsurface microbial diversity of the Galapagos Islands and further shows the interest of the conservation of these subterranean geoheritage sites used as show caves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms on Cultural Heritage)
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12 pages, 2195 KiB  
Article
Effect of Inorganic Carbon Concentration on the Development of Subaerial Phototrophic Biofilms on Granite
by Daniel Vázquez-Nion, Elsa Fuentes and Beatriz Prieto
Coatings 2020, 10(11), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10111049 - 29 Oct 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2048
Abstract
Organisms living at the stone–air interface are expected to be affected by changes in the atmospheric composition due to greenhouse gases emissions. Increased CO2 concentrations may particularly affect phototrophic microorganisms that colonize stone cultural heritage and form subaerial biofilms. However, little is [...] Read more.
Organisms living at the stone–air interface are expected to be affected by changes in the atmospheric composition due to greenhouse gases emissions. Increased CO2 concentrations may particularly affect phototrophic microorganisms that colonize stone cultural heritage and form subaerial biofilms. However, little is known about the effects of the environmental changes on microorganisms that colonize stone and the consequences for cultural heritage conservation. In the present study, we investigated how an increase in inorganic carbon concentration affected the development of a subaerial biofilm composed by the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 grown on granite. For this purpose, we established two experiments on biofilm formation, with and without addition of inorganic carbon to the growth medium. Higher concentrations of carbon promoted biofilm growth and increased the concentrations of the photosynthetic pigments chlorophyll a and carotenoids on granite surface, potentially exacerbating the aesthetic impact of these biofilms on stone-made cultural heritage. However, the extracellular polysaccharides produced were not significantly affected by carbon availability, so that physical stone biodeterioration might not be increased by the cyanobacterial matrix. The findings provide valuable data on how the existing global change scenario might affect organisms inhabiting stone cultural heritage and encourage to develop new sustainable treatments and methodologies to prevent biodeterioration and thus preserve stone cultural heritage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms on Cultural Heritage)
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15 pages, 15171 KiB  
Article
Geomicrobial Investigations of Colored Outer Coatings from an Ethiopian Rock Art Gallery
by Ying-Li Wu, Federica Villa, Gianmarco Mugnai, Marina Gallinaro, Enza Elena Spinapolice and Andrea Zerboni
Coatings 2020, 10(6), 536; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10060536 - 31 May 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3417
Abstract
The open rock shelter of Yabelo in Ethiopia hosts diverse Holocene paintings of great cultural importance. The paintings are characterized by the presence of different mineral coatings, whose features have not been studied yet. Our goal was to understand whether different rock samples [...] Read more.
The open rock shelter of Yabelo in Ethiopia hosts diverse Holocene paintings of great cultural importance. The paintings are characterized by the presence of different mineral coatings, whose features have not been studied yet. Our goal was to understand whether different rock samples from the Yabelo paintings collected in close proximity may reveal coatings with different minerology and biology. Thus, elemental analyses combined with microscopic and molecular investigations were performed on two coatings, one whitish (sample 1) and one reddish (sample 2). Although both samples were dominated by heterotrophic bacteria, the two coatings showed distinct mineralogical and microbiological characteristics. Sample 1 contained higher amounts of Ca and P than sample 2, which was likely related to the presence of organic matter. Sample 1 hosted bacterial genera that are potentially involved in biomineralization processes, metal redox cycles and metal resistance. In contrast, sample 2 showed mainly pathogenic and commensal bacteria that are characteristic of animal and human microbiota, and other microorganisms that are involved in nitrogen and metal biogeochemical cycles. Overall, our results indicated that the bacterial communities were particular to the coating mineralogy, suggesting a potential role of the biological components in the crust genesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms on Cultural Heritage)
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