Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia (IRNAS-CSIC), Av. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012, Sevilla, Spain.
Environ Microbiol. 2012 Dec;14(12):3220-31. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.12008. Epub 2012 Oct 26.
Lascaux Cave in France was discovered in 1940. Since being opened to visitors the cave has suffered three major microbial outbreaks. The current problem is the fast dissemination of black stains which are threatening the Palaeolithic paintings. Previous data pointed to the involvement of new fungal species in the formation of black stains on the rock walls and ceiling. However, it appears that there could be other reasons for the formation of different and extensive black stains coating the surface of the clayey sediments. Our analyses reveal that black stains on clayey sediments are mainly produced by Acremonium nepalense, a manganese oxide-depositing fungus, widely distributed in the cave. Thus, in Lascaux Cave, the black stains have a dual origin: on limestone rocks they are mainly produced by the accumulation of fungal melanins, and on clayey sediments by the biogenic deposition of black manganese oxides.
法国拉斯科洞穴于 1940 年被发现。自向游客开放以来，该洞穴已经遭受了三次重大微生物爆发。目前的问题是黑色污渍的快速传播，这些污渍正在威胁着旧石器时代的绘画。以前的数据表明，新的真菌物种可能参与了石壁和天花板上黑色污渍的形成。然而，似乎还有其他原因导致不同的、广泛的黑色污渍覆盖在粘土层表面。我们的分析表明，粘土层上的黑色污渍主要是由广泛分布在洞穴中的锰氧化物沉积真菌枝顶孢霉产生的。因此，在拉斯科洞穴中，黑色污渍有双重来源：在石灰岩岩石上，它们主要是由真菌黑色素的积累产生的，而在粘土层上，则是由黑色锰氧化物的生物沉积产生的。
