CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005, Porto, Portugal.
CITAR - Centro de Investigação Em Ciência E Tecnologia das Artes, Escola das Artes, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005, Porto, Portugal.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2022 May;106(9-10):3811-3828. doi: 10.1007/s00253-022-11957-4. Epub 2022 May 14.
Microbial communities colonising outdoor sculptures form intricate and dynamic ecosystems, which can accelerate the deterioration processes of the artworks and pose challenges to their conservation. In this study, the bacterial and fungal communities colonising the surfaces of five contemporary outdoor sculptures were characterised by high-throughput sequencing. The sculptures, made of marble, granite, Ançã limestone and mortar, are in urban parks and squares in the district of Porto, Portugal. The analysis of the microbial populations revealed great taxonomic diversity and species richness, including in well-preserved sculptures showing few visible traces of contamination. Proteobacteria, namely the genera Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas, were the core taxa common to all the sculptures, while Massilia and Aureobasidium were dominant only in granite. An abundance of pigment-producing microorganisms, such as Deinococcus, Methylobacterium, Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces, was also found in granite. These are relevant taxonomic groups that can negatively impact stone and mortar artworks. The study was complemented with colourimetric analyses and bioluminescence assays to measure the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content of samples collected from specific contaminated areas of the sculptures. The characterisation of the microbiomes of sculptures can provide further knowledge on the deterioration risks of this type of artwork in the region and help outline future targeted conservation strategies. KEY POINTS: • Rich and abundant microbiomes expose sculptures' vulnerability to deterioration. • Well-preserved sculptures are at risk of deterioration by pigment-producing taxa. • ATP and colourimetry quickly identified the most relevant contaminated areas.
微生物群落定殖于户外雕塑，形成错综复杂且动态的生态系统，这些生态系统会加速艺术品的劣化过程，对其保护构成挑战。本研究采用高通量测序技术，对五个当代户外雕塑表面的细菌和真菌群落进行了特征描述。这些雕塑由大理石、花岗岩、安赞石灰岩和灰浆制成，放置于葡萄牙波尔图区的城市公园和广场中。对微生物种群的分析揭示了极高的分类多样性和物种丰富度，包括在保存完好、几乎没有可见污染痕迹的雕塑中也是如此。所有雕塑中共有的核心类群均为变形菌门，包括假单胞菌属和鞘氨醇单胞菌属，而马塞利亚菌属和金孢子菌属仅在花岗岩中占优势。在花岗岩中还发现了大量产生色素的微生物，如贪噬菌属、甲基杆菌属、红酵母属和掷孢酵母属。这些都是对石质和灰浆艺术品具有负面影响的重要分类群。本研究还补充了比色分析和生物发光测定，以测量从雕塑特定污染区域采集的样本中的三磷酸腺苷 (ATP) 含量。雕塑微生物组的特征可提供有关该地区此类艺术品劣化风险的更多知识，并有助于概述未来有针对性的保护策略。要点：
丰富多样的微生物组使雕塑容易受到劣化的影响。
保存完好的雕塑面临着由产生色素的类群引起劣化的风险。
ATP 和比色法快速识别出最相关的污染区域。
