ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Altamira Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, houses one of the world’s most prominent Palaeolithic rock art. The conservation of the rock art is threatened by microorganisms (bacteria and recently fungi). Previous studies revealed that the entry and dispersion of microorganisms and nutrients to the interior of the cave depends on the exchange rates between the cave atmosphere and the exterior through the entrance. Nevertheless, the data obtained in an aerobiological study combined with a multiparametric survey of atmospheric gases have shown that there is another possible entry and spread of microorganisms in the innermost area of the cave (the Well Hall), far from the single and most elevated entrance.
