Lichens and Fungi on Sandstone Tombs at the Historical Jewish Cemetery in Wroclaw (Poland)

Author:
Plaskowska E., Patejuk K., Lorenc M. & Grzeszczuk J.
Year:
2023
Journal:
Studies in Conservation
Pages:
2023: 1-9
Url:
https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2023.2174396
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Microflora inhabiting rock surfaces, including bacteria, fungi, algae, and lichens, form a specific kind of an ecosystem. Unique and not well known forms of this environment are old cemetery tombs. To better understand such environments, lichenological and mycological studies were conducted in the old Jewish cemetery in Wroclaw, Poland. The research covered 13 tombstones made of several varieties of sandstone. This research shows that some gravestones made of sandstone from Wartowice were strongly populated by fungi. Physical and chemical properties of the stone as well as the quality of the starting raw material were favourable for this deterioration process to occur. The most frequently recorded lichens were: Psilolechia lucida, Verrucaria nigricans, and Lepraria sp. The species of fungi most frequently found on the monuments were: Cladosporium herbarium, Aspergillus niger, and Alternaria alternata. The aim of the study was to detect the mycobiota living on tombstones in the historical Jewish cemetery in Wroclaw, which contains stones originating from Lower Silesian quarries that now exhibit traces of biodegeneration. Cemetery, fungi, lichens, decay, sandstone, tombs, biodeterioration, COLONIZATION
Id:
35267
Submitter:
jph
Post_time:
Monday, 27 March 2023 16:15