Trehalose, mannitol and arabitol as indicators of fungal metabolism in late Cretaceous and Miocene deposits

Trehalose, mannitol and arabitol are the main saccharides of extant fungal metabolism, but their occurrence and distribution in geological materials have rarely been considered. Here, we identify these sugars in Miocene lignites and for the first time in Late Cretaceous mudstones and coals. The co-occurrence of trehalose, mannitol and arabitol in the sedimentary rocks investigated suggests their fungal origin, because these three saccharides are major compounds present in most modern fungi, including the very common mycorrhizal and wood-rotting groups. Therefore, we conclude that these sugars should be treated as new fungal biomarkers (biomolecules) present in geological rocks. Trehalose and mannitol are major compounds in total extracts of the samples and a sum of their concentration reaches 4.6 μg/g of sample. The arabitol concentrations do not exceed 0.5 μg/g, but in contrast to trehalose, the concentration correlates well with mannitol (R2=0.94), suggesting that they have the same, translocatory role in fungi. Based on the trehalose vs. mannitol and arabitol distributions in Cretaceous samples and their comparison with data for modern fungi, we preliminarily conclude that the coal seams from the Rakowice Małe (SW Poland) section were formed during warmer climatic periods than the overlying sediments. Furthermore, no DNA could be isolated from the samples of lignites and overlying sediments, whereas it was abundant in the control samples of maple, birch and oak wood degraded by fungi. This indicates an absence of recent fungi responsible for decay in lignites and implies that the saccharide origin is connected with ancient fungi. Other sugar alcohols and acids like D-pinitol, quinic acid and shikimic acid, were found for the first time in sedimentary rocks, and their source is inferred to be from higher plants, most likely conifers. The preservation of mono- and disaccharides of fungal origins in pre-Palaeogene strata implies that compounds previously thought as unstable can survive for tens to hundreds of millions of years without structural changes in immature rocks unaffected by secondary processes

The 42nd Symposium Chromatographic Methods of Investigating Organic Compounds : Book of abstracts

The 42nd Symposium Chromatographic Methods of Investigating Organic Compounds : Book of abstracts. June 4-7, 2019, Szczyrk, Polan

Jakob Nielsen's Heuristic as a tool for testing the usability of websites.

Praca magisterska zawiera szczegółową analizę heurystyczną serwisów internetowych salonów kosmetycznych, salonów fryzjerskich i gabinetów weterynaryjnych. Przeprowadzone badania pozwoliły stworzyć listę krytycznych elementów serwisów WWW z punktu widzenia użyteczności, które utrudniają użytkownikom korzystanie z serwisu internetowego.Master's thesis contains a detailed heuristic analysis of beauty salon websites, hairdressers websites and veterinary surgeries websites. The conducted research allowed to create a list of critical elements of websites from the point of view of usability, which make it difficult for users to use the website

Vincent van Gogh – work marked by suffering

Niniejsza praca stanowi dokumentację projektu dyplomowego realizowanego na kierunku elektroniczne przetwarzanie informacji na wydziale Zarządzania i Komunikacji Społecznej na Uniwersytecie Jagiellońskim. Celem projektu jest stworzenie serwisu, który przybliży użytkownikowi informacje na temat wpływu choroby na twórczość Vincenta van Gogha oraz inne aspekty jego życia.Bachelor's thesis is a documentation of the diploma project in electronic data processing in the Faculty of Management and Social Communication in Jagiellonian University. A goal of the project is to create a website about influence of diseases on Vincent van Gogh’s work and other aspects of his live

Sugars in environmental samples and sedimentary rocks : effectiveness in derivatization for GC-MS analysis

Saccharides (sugars), common constituents of the bio- and geosphere, are useful in determining the source of organic matter (OM) in aerosols and early diagenetic phases. Due to the chemical properties and great diversity of sugars in nature, a wide range of techniques is used for the isolation and quantification of saccharides. Here, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, preceded by derivatization with N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyl-trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA), was undertaken. The effectiveness of this derivatization was demonstrated for soils, aerosols, fungi, and individual sugar standards. The efficacy of BSTFA derivatization for individual sugar standards and, similarly, for samples of sugars in winter and summer aerosols was adequate. In fungi and soil samples, the MSTFA reagent was much more effective. Different mono- and disaccharides were identified in biological samples and sedimentary rocks, showing not only the great diversity of these compounds but also the specificity of their origin in recent and ancient OM. Greater variation in the occurrence of sugars in soils compared to rocks may suggest differences in the stability of some saccharides at an early stage of diagenetic transformation. Comparison of the occurrence of certain sugars in biological samples and sedimentary rocks sheds new light on the origin and preservation of these biomolecules

Exceptional preservation of hopanoid and steroid biomarkers in Ediacaran sedimentary rocks of the East European Craton

Thermally unstable hopanes with a biological 17β,21β (H)- configuration (ββ hopanes), hopenes, hopanoic acids and hopanols were identified as important constituents of Ediacaran to Cambrian sedimentary rocks of the East European Craton. Relatively high abundances of ββ hopanes in relation to αβ hopanes were identified in the Petersburg area and eastern Belarus, while in Volyn samples these compounds were found in traces. In addition, polar hopanoids including hopanols and hopanoic acids were found in most of the Petersburg and some Belarus and Volyn sedimentary rocks. The estimated equivalent of vitrinite reflectance for samples of lower maturity, measured based on C31ββ/(αβS + αβR + ββ) ratio is in the range 0.28–0.49% Rr, while for those of higher thermal maturity this parameter corresponds to 0.41–0.57% Rr. The values of the C31 22S/(S + R) ratio are in agreement with above data and are in the range of 0.1–0.3 for the Belarus and Petersburg samples, of 0.3–0.4 for Volyn, and of 0.4–0.5 for Lithuania, where ββ hopanes and hopanols were not detected or are present as traces. Moreover, there is good correlation (R2 = 0.8) between C31ββ/(αβS + αβR + ββ) and C31ENE/(H + ENE) ratio values (defined as ratio of C31 hopenes to αβ hopanes), which proves that less-stable ββ hopanes and hopenes are enriched in the same immature sedimentary rocks. The remarkable occurrence of a significant portion of sedimentary hopanes retaining the biological stereochemical configuration confirms that exceptionally immature Precambrian rocks can be found in some instances when these strata have undergone only a mild burial temperature history.Authors acknowledge financial support from the Polish National Science Centre MAESTRO grant 2013/10/A/ST10/00050 (to Professor Jan Środoń), and Australian Research Council grant DP160100607 (to J.J.B.). I.B. gratefully acknowledges an Australian Government Research Training Program stipend scholarship

Hydrothermal alteration of the Ediacaran Volyn-Brest volcanics on the western margin of the East European Craton

International audienc

Preservation of hemicellulose remnants in sedimentary organic matter

Cellulose has been identified in fossil material, but the preservation potential of hemicelluloses, which are less resistant to decomposition than cellulose, is generally considered very low. Here we present the discovery of hemicellulose in Miocene xylites (fossil wood) and Cretaceous xylo-detritic coals from Poland. The main building blocks of hemicelluloses in softwood are mannose, glucose, xylose with lesser amounts of galactose and arabinose. These saccharides were detected in the coals and xylites using independent geochemical methods. Based on chemical analysis, the lignites contained significant holocellulose (22–37%), α-cellulose (8–29%) and hemicellulose (7–13%). In the smoke from a xylite burn test, levoglucosan and mannosan were dominant, the latter a specific hemicellulose alteration product. Glucose and mannose products dominated after methanolysis, with minor galactose and xylose. The main hemicellulosic polysaccharides in lignite appear to be glucomannan and/or galactoglucomannan but with a lower mannose content, possibly connected to wood degradation by fungi. The preservation of hemicelluloses in fossil material may be due to structural interconnection between lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose (i.e. lignocellulose), common in extant wood. This is the first documentation of hemicelluloses in fossil material. Our results show that not only cellulose, but also hemicelluloses can persist for millions of years under favorable conditions with only minor structural changes due to slow microbial and/or diagenetic decay. In fossil wood, types of hemicellulose can help assess whether the ancient plants were related to gymnosperms or angiosperms.This work was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant 2018/31/B/ST10/00284 to LM