Abstract
Wooden shipwrecks are a significant part of the underwater cultural heritage. In 2007, the Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck was salvaged from the seabed and moved into the Marine Silk Road Museum, where it is still stored in a water tank. We analysed the microbial communities colonizing the hull surface of the Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck during storage. Six samples exposed to air were collected from different spots of the ship that exhibited obvious microbial plaques. High-throughput sequencing revealed the bacterial community includes both aquatic and terrestrial species, while in the fungal community, Fusarium was the most abundant genus across all samples and accounted for 84.91% to 98.40% of the total community composition. Two Fusarium species were isolated from the samples and were identified as F. solani and F. oxysporum. Both of the isolates were able to degrade cellulose, but only F. solani had the ability to degrade lignin. Antimicrobial efficacy in inhibiting the growth of Fusarium was assessed with five kinds of biocides, and isothiazolinones exhibited specific inhibition of Fusarium growth. These results provide critical background information to protect and reduce the biodegradation and destruction of this important historical shipwreck, and inform efforts to protect other similar artifacts.
Highlights
The Nanhai No 1 shipwreck is located in the city of Yangjiang in Guangdong Province which lies on the Chinese southern coast
All 16S rRNA gene sequences were assigned to 43 bacterial phyla
Mitigating the degradation of important cultural artefacts is of critical importance in the maintenance of important cultural heritage items
Summary
The Nanhai No 1 shipwreck is located in the city of Yangjiang in Guangdong Province which lies on the Chinese southern coast. Some organisms including bacteria and soft rot fungi, can still degrade waterlogged wood that is of significant archaeological value. Erosion bacteria can degrade wood under very low oxygen concentrations, while tunnelling bacteria are widespread in nature, occurring in both terrestrial and aquatic environments and can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and humidity[9]. By using high-throughput sequencing techniques and culture-based methods, the aim of this study was to identify potential wood-degrading microorganisms that are responsible for the degradation of the Nanhai No 1 shipwreck during storage. For this purpose, microbial community analysis was undertaken on wood exposed to air. Antimicrobial efficacy in inhibiting the growth of the dominant fungi was assessed with five kinds of biocides
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