title: Epilithic and endolithic microorganisms and deterioration on stone church facades subject to urban pollution in a sub-tropical climate.
abstract: Weathering of two church facades in Rio de Janeiro was caused substantially by salts, mainly halite and gypsum, detected by SEM and chemical analyses, which cause physical stresses by deposition within the rock. Biofilm populations, determined by SEM and as operational taxonomic units (OTUs), degraded stone by penetration, solubilization and redeposition of minerals on their surfaces. Endolithic cyanobacteria were associated with gypsum deposits. Microbiomes were typical for high-stress environments, high salt, intense insolation, low water and low nutrients (eg halophilic Rubrobacter, Salinicola, Sterigmatomyces). The main colonizers on the church most affected by traffic (Nossa Senhora da Candelária - CA) were Actinobacteria; Gammaproteobacteria (chiefly Pseudomonas) were predominant on the site situated in a leafy square (São Francisco de Paula - SF). Major Gammaproteobacteria on CA were halophilic Halomonas and Rhodobacteriaceae. Fungal OTUs on both churches were principally dimorphic, yeast-like basidiomycetes. Many OTUs of thermophilic microorganisms (eg the Thermomicrobia class, Chloroflexi) were present. This is the first use of next generation sequencing (NGS) to study microbial biofilm interactions with metamorphic and granite buildings in an intensely urban, sub-tropical climate.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma , Norman , OK , USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gaylarde
authors.affiliation: b Departamento de Geologia e Geofísica , Universidade Federal Fluminense , Niterói/RJ , Brazil.
authors.forename: Jose Antônio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Baptista-Neto
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma , Norman , OK , USA.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma , Norman , OK , USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kowalski
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma , Norman , OK , USA.
authors.forename: Sukriye
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Celikkol-Aydin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma , Norman , OK , USA.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beech
mesh_terms: D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D001108:Architecture; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D001938:Brazil; D002947:Cities; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000382:microbiology*; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014507:Urbanization
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants
keywords: Biofilms; MiSeq sequencing; fungi; historic monuments; phototrophs; weathering