The Role of Plants in the Biodeterioration of Buildings
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (17 March 2023) | Viewed by 3147
Special Issue Editor
Interests: botany; floras; alien species invasions; biodeterioration of historical and archaeological buildings; ethnobotany; iconographic analysis of artistic representations of natural elements in archaeological remains and artifacts of the Mediterranean region
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The deterioration of artifacts can be defined as the alterations caused by biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors. The biodeterioration of historical buildings and stone monuments is a widespread problem, affecting two-thirds of the world's cultural heritage. When monuments have undergone repeated weathering processes due to agents such as rain, wind, and temperature, living organisms begin to colonize the area. Algae and cyanobacteria are usually the first colonizers, followed by lichens, which are highly resistant to desiccation and extreme temperatures. Plants exploit and help to create microenvironments suitable for plant growth, and, if left undisturbed, a succession takes place of plants of increasing diversity and size. Lichens and higher plants cause damage, due to either the acid metabolites they produce or because their roots penetrate building material or develop in spaces between stones. In recent decades, however, several studies have recognized the importance of higher plants in causing damage to stone monuments. Higher plant colonization of buildings is limited by several factors, including the availability of safe sites for settlement, the hardness of the substratum, frequent disturbance, the large variability in microclimates in terms of temperatures and humidity, as well as the scarcity of water.
In this Special Issue we call for contributions that address the impact of plants’ colonization of stone monuments, focusing on the role of plants and their consequent damages. Research papers based on, but not limited to, deterioration by lichens, algae, mosses, and vascular flora, the effect of stone construction materials, the effect of microclimates, and management are encouraged to be submitted to this Special Issue.
Dr. Riccardo Motti
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- biodeterioration
- biological agents
- bioreceptivity
- conservation management
- historical buildings
- higher plants
