FRESHWATER CYANOBACTERIA, IDENTIFIED BY MICROSCOPIC AND MOLECULAR INVESTIGATIONS ON A COLONIZED FOUNTAIN SURFACE: A CASE STUDY IN PALERMO (SICILY, ITALY)

Cyanobacteria or blue algae are ubiquitously present in both fresh and brackish water environments. They also grow in conditions of high humidity, colonizing stones or monuments and fountain surfaces, and creating thick biofilms able to induce biodeterioration in the constituent materials of artefacts. As well as several photoautotrophic organisms, cyanobacteria belong to the microorganisms identified as primary colonizers, playing an important role in stone artwork deterioration.