Preservation
Lascaux, located in France, quickly became a major tourist attraction. Its caretakers realized that the equilibrium in the cave’s climate, which had kept the images intact for tens of thousands of years, was being disrupted by so many people visiting the cave, and it was closed in 1963. Around 2000, the cave became filled with a fungus that many blamed on air conditioning, the use of high powered lights, and too many visitors. The fungus had to be painstakingly removed by hand; currently only a few scientific experts are allowed to work inside the cave, and just for a few days a month. The most representative bacterium ( Pseudonocardia sp.) and fungus ( Fusarium sp.) from the microbial communities of a cave containing paleolithic paintings were isolated and their growth on natural substrates assessed. Development was analyzed with and without supplemented nutrients (glucose, ammonium, phosphate, peptone). Results showed that the assayed bacterium on natural substrate was able to develop best at in situ temperature and the addition of organic nutrients and/or phosphate enhanced its growth. The growth of the assayed fungus, however, was limited by low temperature and the availability of ammonium. These results confirm a differential behavior of microorganisms between the laboratory and the natural environments and could explain previous invasion of fungi reported for some caves with prehistoric paintings.
Read more about this topic: Parietal Art
Famous quotes containing the word preservation:
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—Hendrik Verwoerd (1901–1966)
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