Fungal deterioration of sandstone structure and their scientific presevation with reference to historical monument Kala dera-i temple of Jammu & Kashmir state (India)

Stone objects may support novel communities of microorganisms that are active in bio-deteriorationprocess. Bio-filmonthesandstone monumentscontainsa complexof consortia of Bryophyta and Fungi. The Bryophyta make up the photosynthetic part of the bio-film while hyphae, filaments and spores take part as fungal components. These structures make a dense layer by intertwining over the surface of sandstone monuments. In the present investigation 10 samples were collected from different sites of Kala Dera-I temple of Jammu and Kashmir State. The five (05) fungal species were isolated which have dominance over sandstone structures of the monuments. During investigation period it was observed that Aspergillus sp. was found most dominant followed by Rhizopus sp. The identified micro fungi cause discoloration as well as mechanical exfoliation of building stone material that was analyzed through mechanical hyphae penetration and productionof dark pigments and organic acids.