Bus Stop: Maria-Theresien-Straße  

Frau Hitt loses her life through petrification, but is the rock on the Nordkette really dead? Astonishingly, it’s not. If you look closely, you can discover a variety of life forms with special capabilities: bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae and lichens live on the surface or in small crevices and cavities of the rock and are thereby responsible for biological weathering. The Institute of Microbiology at the University of Innsbruck is investigating the role of these organisms in weathering and soil formation in high alpine regions.

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Lichens are communities of fungi, cyanobacteria and algae.

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As you can see from the small holes, they destroy the rock to extract nutrients.

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Here you can see communities of bacteria, fungi and algae — so-called biofilms.

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They enable the growth of these organisms in extreme environments, decompose the rock and promote the growth of plants.

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Did you know that algae bind CO2 from the air?

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With the carbohydrates they produce, they also promote the growth of fungi and bacteria.

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Do you see the moss growing out of the crevices?

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Mosses bind CO2 from the air and can feed and grow on the stone with the help of fungi and bacteria. This is how they contribute to the decomposition of the stone.

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The holes you can see in this stone are caused by weathering…

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… in this case a combination of physical, chemical and biological weathering.

   Faculty of Biology

Photo: © Renate Sonnleitner 2019