New family of fungi threatens a UNESCO-listed 8-century-old cathedral in Portugal

(Pensoft Publishers) A peculiar fungus was retrieved from an artwork in the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal during a multi-disciplinary scientific survey. The organism was found to belong to the group of microcolonial black fungi, which are infamous amongst conservationists and biologists who care for historic monuments. They cause significant biodeterioration to stone monuments due to their successful adaptation to hostile environmental conditions. The findings are published in the open-access journal MycoKeys.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news