ABSTRACT
The Cyanobacteria attack rocks (CATS) project focuses on the control, prevention and monitoring of cyanobacteria-dominated biofilms that cause damage to rock surfaces in Roman hypogea. Terrestrial cyanobacteria and associated microorganisms are the first colonisers of exposed lithic faces and their extensive development is supported by the mineral composition of the substrata and facilitated by the porous nature of the, mostly calcareous, surfaces. Cyanobacteria are photo synthetic microorganisms that can use CO2 as a carbon source for growth. Many cyanobacteria, including strains found in hypogeic environments, are also diazotrophic, using N2 as a nitrogen source. The main objective of CATS is the evaluation of applicability of a two-phase strategy to decrease and inhibit growth of biofilm forming cyanobacteria in hypogean monuments, as a tool to produce innovative non-destructive technologies to control and prevent microbial growth on rock surfaces. The development of non-destructive and safety methods for control and prevention of cyanobacterial biofilms has been started.
