Abstract Colour in historic and modern architecture is one of the most important visible characteristics that should be preserved along the times. There are many factors that can induce stone weathering, promoting its discolouration. Among these factors, microorganisms’ action was neglected for many decades, and nowadays there is a lack of association in the relation of stone alteration and biogenic activity. This work comprises an important contribution to understand the microbial role for the weathering of one of the more important Portuguese stones, that is applied in historic monuments and new buildings. Featured by its excellent physico-chemical characteristics, this lithotype is currently with a great international demand, which requires a thorough comprehension of its deterioration mechanism. The natural weathering of this stone was induced through simulation assays and the microbiota thriving were evaluated and characterised using Next Generation Sequencing. The results obtained show that the stone discolouration is greater when both prokaryotic and eukaryotic colonisers are present and the inorganic surface alteration promotes the development of microbiota, creating a cause-effect cycle.

中文翻译：

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将观赏石变色与其生物定植状态联系起来

摘要 历史建筑和现代建筑中的色彩是最重要的、应该被时代保留下来的可见特征之一。有许多因素可以引起石材风化，促进其变色。在这些因素中，微生物的作用被忽视了几十年，现在石蚀变与生物活性的关系缺乏关联。这项工作对理解微生物对葡萄牙最重要的石头之一的风化作用做出了重要贡献，该石头应用于历史古迹和新建筑。该岩型以其优良的理化特性，目前在国际上需求量很大，需要对其劣化机理有深入的了解。这块石头的自然风化是通过模拟分析诱导的，微生物群的繁荣使用下一代测序进行评估和表征。获得的结果表明，当原核生物和真核生物同时存在时，结石变色程度更大，无机表面改变促进微生物群的发育，形成因果循环。