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Aeroterrestrial Algae Growing on Man-Made Surfaces

What are the Secrets of their Ecological Success?

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Algae and Cyanobacteria in Extreme Environments

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 11))

Aeroterrestrial phototrophic microorganisms typically form conspicuous biofilms in all climatic zones at the interface between any type of solid substratum and the atmosphere. In temperate regions such as North-Western Europe, eukaryotic green microalgae (Chlorophyta) are the most abundant aeroterrestrial organisms (see also Rindi, this volume), whereas cyanobacteria dominate warm-temperate to tropical regions (Ortega-Calvo et al., 1995; Tomaselli et al., 2000). Aeroterrestrial green microalgae grow epiphytically and epilithically on natural surfaces such as tree bark, soil and rock, and are known to be the photobionts of lichens (Ettl and Gärtner, 1995). These organisms also occur in urban areas on anthropogenic surfaces such as roof tiles, concrete, building facades and other artificial surfaces where they cause aesthetically unacceptable discolouration known as patinas and incrustations (Gaylarde and Morton, 1999; Tomaselli et al., 2000).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological Sciences, Applied Ecology, University of Rostock, D-18057, Rostock, Germany

    Ulf Karsten Ph.D & Rhena Schumann Ph.D

  2. Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanodevices and Nanostructures, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

    Anika Mostaert Ph.D

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  1. Ulf Karsten Ph.D
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  2. Rhena Schumann Ph.D
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  3. Anika Mostaert Ph.D
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  1. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mevo Hadas 20, 1132, 90435, Efrat, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach Ph.D

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Karsten, U., Schumann, R., Mostaert, A. (2007). Aeroterrestrial Algae Growing on Man-Made Surfaces. In: Seckbach, J. (eds) Algae and Cyanobacteria in Extreme Environments. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6112-7_32

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