title: Deterioration of an Etruscan tomb by bacteria from the order Rhizobiales.
abstract: The Etruscan civilisation originated in the Villanovan Iron Age in the ninth century BC and was absorbed by Rome in the first century BC. Etruscan tombs, many of which are subterranean, are one of the best representations of this culture. The principal importance of these tombs, however, lies in the wall paintings and in the tradition of rich burial, which was unique in the Mediterranean Basin, with the exception of Egypt. Relatively little information is available concerning the biodeterioration of Etruscan tombs, which is caused by a colonisation that covers the paintings with white, circular to irregular aggregates of bacteria or biofilms that tend to connect each other. Thus, these colonisations sometimes cover extensive surfaces. Here we show that the colonisation of paintings in Tomba del Colle is primarily due to bacteria of the order Rhizobiales (Alphaproteobacteria), which were likely influenced by the neighbouring rhizosphere community and the availability of nutrients from root exudates.
authors.affiliation: 1] Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, Avda. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012 Sevilla, Spain [2].
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diaz-Herraiz
authors.affiliation: 1] Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, Avda. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012 Sevilla, Spain [2].
authors.forename: Valme
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jurado
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra y del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain.
authors.forename: Soledad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cuezva
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, Avda. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Leonila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laiz
authors.affiliation: Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana, 50143 Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquino
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pallecchi
authors.affiliation: CNR Istituto per la Conservazione e Valorizzazione dei Beni Culturali, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tiano
authors.affiliation: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, MNCN-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Moral
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, Avda. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Cesareo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saiz-Jimenez
mesh_terms: D049690:History, Ancient; D007558:Italy; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009027:Mortuary Practice; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012230:Rhizobiaceae / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure