An interactive database for an ecological analysis of stone biopitting

Despite the wide spectrum of literature on stone biodeterioration associated with pitting, there has not been sufficient description of some general topics related to stone biopitting in terrestrial conditions, nor of the taxonomy of the organisms supporting it. In order to synthesize the information available in the literature, and to give a critical analysis of the bibliographic data, an interactive on-line database has been created. Among the about 800 papers selected in the first step of creating this database. Only 24 studies reported on biopitting, giving information on the object, material composition and associated organisms. These first data concern 83 different sites, for a total of 249 samples, coming mainly from the Mediterranean bioclimatic area, even though the biopitting phenomenon is not exclusive to this climate. The most commonly occurring organisms are cyanobacteria, and the associated environmental conditions are dryness, arising from various factors, such as the low porosity of the stone; the exposure conditions; and the bioclimate. These factors explain very high appearance of organisms and especially cyanobacteria in marble, their preference for vertical or subvertical surfaces, and their high occurrence in Mediterranean and desert climate. The lack of information describing the entire phenomenon i.e., type of stone, exposure conditions, and all biodeteriogens present, doesn't permit the full use of the database's interactive potential. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.