Bacteria, fungi and algae in epilithic biofilms on exposed building stone. biofilm metagenome

Microbial biofilms are common on exposed stone surfaces, including stone buildings. However, the ecology of these communities is poorly understood. Few studies have focussed on the spatial characteristics of lithic biofilms, despite the fact that spatial structure has been demonstrated to influence ecosystem function (and hence biodegradation) and community diversity. Furthermore, relatively few studies have utilised molecular (DNA) techniques to characterise these communities, even though molecular methods have revealed unexpected microbial diversity in other habitats. This study investigated 1) the spatial structure and 2) the taxonomic composition of an epilithic biofilm using molecular techniques, namely amplicon pyrosequencing and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP).