Notes on the stone biodiversity of Hierapolis monuments

The stone biodiversity of lichens and phototrophic microorganisms (green algae, cyanobacteria and diatoms) was analysed in four monuments of hierapolis: Gymnasium, Marble Stoa, North Agora and Civil Agora. Apart from a sample from Civil Agora characterized by a red patina, in the other three sites, the black patina was very common. The highest biodiversity was observed for North Agora (4 species of green algae, 7 species of cyanobacteria, 9 species of lichens, and 1 type of bryophyte), followed by Gymnasium (2 species of green algae, 6 species of cyanobacteria, 7 species of lichens, and 1 type of bryophyte) and Marble Stoa (3 species of cyanobacteria, 7 species of lichens and 1 type of bryophyte). The sample from Civil Agora was taken from another type of environment (air-water interface) with respect to the samples taken from the other three sites; so, it was characterized by a different biodiversity mainly composed of cyanobacteria and diatoms.