Biofilms on stone monuments: biodeterioration or bioprotection?

Xiaobo Liu; Youfen Qian; Fasi Wu; Yali Wang; Wanfu Wang; Ji-Dong Gu

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2022.05.012

Biofilms on stone monuments: biodeterioration or bioprotection?

Trends Microbiol. 2022 Sep;30(9):816-819. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.05.012. Epub 2022 Jun 22.

Authors

Xiaobo Liu¹, Youfen Qian², Fasi Wu³, Yali Wang⁴, Wanfu Wang³, Ji-Dong Gu⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, 200 Xiaolingwei Street, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, China; Environmental Science and Engineering Research Group, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China. Electronic address: xbliu@njust.edu.cn.
² Environmental Science and Engineering Research Group, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China.
³ National Research Center for Conservation of Ancient Wall Paintings and Earthen Sites, Department of Conservation Research, Dunhuang Academy, Dunhuang, Gansu 736200, China.
⁴ Guangdong Conservation Centre, Guangdong Museum, 2 Zhujiang East Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510623, China.
⁵ Environmental Science and Engineering Research Group, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China. Electronic address: jidong.gu@gtiit.edu.cn.

PMID: 35752563
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.05.012

Abstract

Debate on whether biofilms on stone monuments are biodeteriorative or bioprotective is long-standing. We propose a criterion of 'relative bioprotective ratio' for assessing the ambivalent role of the biofilms by comparing biodeterioration with weathering. A boundary between biodeterioration and bioprotection exists and fluctuates with dynamic microflora influenced by environmental conditions.

Keywords: active communities; biodeterioration; biofilms; bioprotection; environmental factors; stone monuments.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biofilms*