1. A first report of biodeterioration caused by cyanobacterial biofilms of exposed fossil bones: A case study of the middle Pleistocene site of La Polledrara di Cecanibbio (Rome, Italy)
- Author
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Federica Marano, Federico Di Rita, Laura Bruno, Maria Rita Palombo, Neil Thomas William Ellwood, Marano, F., Di Rita, F., Palombo, M. R., Ellwood, N. T. W., and Bruno, L.
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Pleistocene ,Settore BIO/01 ,Phototrophic biofilms ,leptolyngbya sp ,Leptolyngbya sp. Endolithic activity Fossil bones Conservation of Cultural Heritage Microscopy ,030106 microbiology ,Fossil bone ,conservation of cultural heritage ,Biology ,Microbiology ,Biomaterials ,Petrography ,03 medical and health sciences ,fossil bones ,Settore GEO/01 - Paleontologia e Paleoecologia ,Leptolyngbya sp ,endolithic activity ,microscopy ,waste management and disposal ,microbiology ,biomaterials ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Microscopy ,Conservation of cultural heritage ,Ecology ,Biofilm ,Aesthetic value ,Endolithic activity - Abstract
La Polledrara di Cecanibbio is a Pleistocene fossiliferous deposit near Rome (Italy) where large quantities of bones, belonging mainly to elephants, have been discovered and ‘musealized’ under an enclosing structure. The prevailing environmental conditions inside the museum and the exposition in situ of the fossilized remains have resulted in the development of phototrophic biofilms on the bones and the nearby sediments. Samples of bones and sediment were investigated with different microscopy techniques (light, confocal laser scanning, scanning electron and petrographic microscopes) that allowed the identification of the cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. as the almost entirely dominant organism of the biofilms. The present study identifies for the first time endolithic activity of this cyanobacterium on exposed fossilized bones. There was some indication that this species was euendolithic but this remains to be elucidated. The development of these phototrophic biofilms greatly reduces the aesthetic value of the site and evidence suggests that they may cause extensive structural damage to the bones, threatening the scientific and cultural assets of one of the richest fossiliferous deposits in Italy. This study on the biodeterioration of fossil remains gives useful insights for the conservation of this spectacular site.
- Published
- 2016