Lithobiotic Communities on the Surface of Rock Art Monuments in the Minusinsk Basin (South Siberia): Conditions for Formation and Biomineral Interactions

• Published in: Contemporary problems of ecology 2022-06, Vol.15 (3), p.222-235
• Main Authors: Sazanova, K. V., Vlasov, D. Yu, Zelenskaya, M. S., Panova, E. G., Rodina, O. A., Miklashevich, E. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biofilms; Biofouling; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Calcite; Crusts; Ecology; Gypsum; Life Sciences; Magma; Memorials & monuments; Microorganisms; Monuments; Organic matter; Petroglyphs; Rocks; Sandstone; Surface layers
• ISSN: 1995-4255; 1995-4263
• DOI: 10.1134/S1995425522030118

— Different types of biomineral layers have been identified and characterized on the monuments of rock art in Minusinsk Basin. On the surface of the sandstone (on which images were applied in ancient times), cyanobacterial biofilms and biofouling with the dominance of lichens, mosses, and primary soils have developed, and mineral crusts have formed that are to a greater or lesser extent inhabited by microorganisms. Monospecies cyanobacterial biofilms formed by Gloeocapsopsis magma are a dominant form of biofouling on open rock surfaces exposed to the intense insolation. The most noticeable development of microorganisms was noted on light-colored calcite-bearing crusts with a porous surface. On the contrary, gypsum crusts are poor in organic matter and are almost uninhabited by microorganisms. The formation of gypsum crusts leads to serious damage to the surface layer of the stone and can be one of the main processes leading to the loss of the rock art.