ESTUDIO DEL BIODETERIORO POR INSECTOS EN UN SITIO COLONIAL DE VALOR HISTÓRICO EN LA PROVINCIA DE LA RIOJA

GUILLERMO ROLÓN, GABRIELA CILLA

Buenos Aires

Jornada; Décimo primera Jornada Multidisciplinaria; 2009

Sociedad Argentina de Biología

Biodeterioration studies in a colonial valuable historic and turistic site in La Rioja were carried out. Analyses were made in detached material from the walls. The studied site is located at the South near to the alluvial fan of Capayán River in Famatina locality. Based on the presence of two blast furnaces, a small water reservoir and abundant rocks of vitrified waste material spread all over the ground, this site could have been a huge metal factory. Landscape setting was characterized by the presence of large adobe walls attaining up to 3.5 m height. From this group of walls two of them were much striking because of their severe deteriorated aspect. Deterio- ration was standing out by a vast number of ovoid cavities uphol- stering all over the Northern surfaces of the walls. Affected sur- faces were eroded up to 15 cm inside the walls. Larvae and adults conserved within the cells aided to identify the biodeterioration causative agent as Centris muralis. It is a bee-like insect well known in this region as ?abejorro blanco?. Ovoid cavities consisted of the bee cells constructed to lay eggs and offspring development. Biodeteriorated walls exhibited an advanced degree of deteriora- tion along with a high vulnerability to erosion. SEM micrographies exhibited important differences among biodeteriorated and nonbiodeteriorated walls.