Biomolecules preserved in ca. 168 million year old fossil conifer wood

Biomarkers are widely known to occur in the fossil record, but the unaltered biomolecules are rarely reported from sediments older than Paleogene. Polar terpenoids, the natural products most resistant to degradation processes, were reported mainly from the Tertiary conifers, and the oldest known are Cretaceous in age. In this paper, we report the occurrence of relatively high concentrations of ferruginol derivatives and other polar diterpenoids, as well as their diagenetic products, in a conifer wood Protopodocarpoxylon from the Middle Jurassic of Poland. Thus, the natural product terpenoids reported in this paper are definitely the oldest polar biomolecules detected in geological samples. The extracted phenolic abietanes like ferruginol and its derivatives (6,7-dehydroferruginol, sugiol, 11,14-dioxopisiferic acid) are produced only by distinct conifer families (Cupressaceae s. l., Podocarpaceae and Araucariaceae), to which Protopodocarpoxylon could belong based on anatomical characteristics. Therefore, the natural product terpenoids are of great advantage in systematics of fossil plant remains older than Paleogene and lacking suitable anatomical preservation.     

470-Million-year-old black corals from China

Phosphatic (possibly secondarily phosphatised) remains of antipatharian coralla, previously unknown in the fossil record, occur abundantly in the early Ordovician Fenxiang Formation in the Hubei Province, southern China. Probably two species (and genera) are represented, which differ in spinosity of branches. The more spinose one, Sinopathes reptans, has its lateral spines bearing regular, longitudinally arranged costellae. The early Floian geological age of this finding, about 470?Ma, supports predictions on the timing of anthozoan phylogeny derived from the molecular phylogenetic evidence. Black corals (Antipatharia) are basal to the scleractinians in the Hexacorallia clade, being more derived than sea anemones and the Zoantharia. Based on calibration of the molecular clock with Mesozoic data, the first split of lineages within the scleractinian hexacorals was proposed to take place approximately 425 million years ago. This implies that the origin of Antipatharia should precede this date. They have not been known in the fossil record because of unmineralised skeleton composed primarily of laminar chitin complexed with a protein. Unlike all recent species, the encrusting basal part of the colony dominated in the Ordovician ones and only occasionally erect branches developed, rather chaotically ramified. This presumably plesiomorphic trait seems consistent with ancient geological age and suggests that some problematic fossils from the Late Cambrian may be their, even less-derived, relatives.     

Structural and Thermal Properties of Starch Plasticized with Glycerol/Urea Mixture

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - The paper presents the results of research on the influence of used plasticizing system on the structural and thermal properties of thermoplastic starch...     

Arsenic,cadmium, lead and thallium in coal ash from individual household furnaces

52 coal ash samples from individual households were analyzed to determine the pH and the concentrations of four toxic elements: arsenic, cadmium, lead and thallium. The method used was atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite-furnace atomization. The ash samples originated from various coal grades and statistical analysis showed existing correlations between the concentrations of studied elements, pH and the coal grades. The maximum concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead and thallium were 50,900, 43,500, 128,900, and 6660 µg/kg, respectively. The results were compared with the published data for the ash of industrial origin.

     

Assessment of the pollution and ecological risk of lead and cadmium in soils

The aim of the study was to assess the content, distribution, soil binding capacity, and ecological risk of cadmium and lead in the soils of Malopolska (South Poland). The investigation of 320 soil samples from differently used land (grassland, arable land, forest, wasteland) revealed a very high variation in the metal content in the soils. The pollution of soils with cadmium and lead is moderate. Generally, a point source of lead and cadmium pollution was noted in the study area. The highest content of cadmium and lead was found in the northwestern part of the area—the industrial zones (mining and metallurgical activity). These findings are confirmed by the arrangement of semivariogram surfaces and bivariate Moran’s correlation coefficients. Among the different types of land use, forest soils had by far the highest mean content of bioavailable forms of both metals. The results showed a higher soil binding capacity for lead than for cadmium. However, for both metals, extremely high (class 5) accumulation capacities were dominant. Based on the results, the investigated soils had a low (Pb) and moderate (Cd) ecological risk on living components. Soil properties, such as organic C, pH, sand, silt, and clay content, correlated with the content of total and bioavailable forms of metals in the soils. The correlations, despite being statistically significant, were characterized by very low values of correlation coefficient (r?=?0.12–0.20, at p?≤?0.05). Therefore, the obtained data do not allow to define any conclusions as to the relationships between these soil properties. However, it must be highlighted that there was a very strong positive correlation between the total content of cadmium and lead and their bioavailable forms in the soils.     

A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

Europe has a long history of human pressure on freshwater ecosystems. As pressure continues to grow and new threats emerge, there is an urgent need for conservation of freshwater biodiversity and its ecosystem services. However, whilst some taxonomic groups, mainly vertebrates, have received a disproportionate amount of attention and funds, other groups remain largely off the public and scientific radar. Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) are an alarming example of this conservation bias and here we point out six conceptual areas that need immediate and long-term attention: knowledge, threats, socioeconomics, conservation, governance and education. The proposed roadmap aims to advance research, policy and education by identifying the most pressing priorities for the short- and long-term conservation of freshwater mussels across Europe.     

Chemometric approach to evaluate element distribution in muscle,liver and fish bone of roach (Rutilus rutilus), silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna) and crucian carp (Carassius carassius) from Swarzędzkie Lake (Poland) using ICP-MS and FIAS-CVAAS techniques

The content of elements in fish tissues and organs from Swarz?dzkie Lake was investigated in order to evaluate the possible risk associated with their consumption by animals as well as humans. Samples of muscle, liver and fish bone of three fish species; roach (Rutilus rutilus), silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna) and crucian carp (Carassius carassius) were collected from seine catches undertaken as part of the biomanipulation of Swarz?dzkie Lake. Element concentration (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), with the exception of Hg where the flow injection analysis system cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (FIAS-CVAAS) was applied. The study indicated a large variation in the occurrence of the investigated elements in different parts of the fish body. The highest content of Al and Zn was stated in all fish organs for each fish species. The majority of the applied statistical and chemometric methods (e.g., PCA, CA) refer to roach since we had a large number of data for this species. The obtained results were assessed in terms of their accuracy and precision using certified reference material of Fish Muscle ERM BB422.     

Determination of 210Po and 210Pb in red-capped scaber (Leccinum aurantiacum): bioconcentration and possible related dose assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The paper presents the studies on 210Po and 210Pb activity determination in red-capped scaber (Leccinum aurantiacum (Bulliard) Gray) collected in...     

Acrylamide-induced disturbance of the redox balance in the chick embryonic brain

This study was undertaken to determine the redox balance in the developing brain after exposure to acrylamide (ACR), a potent neurotoxin. The studies were performed using an in ovo chick embryo model. The antioxidant enzymes SOD, GPx, CAT, and reduced glutathione (GSH) were used as indicators of the redox balance. Eggs were injected with ACR doses of 40 mg kg^?1 egg mass (2.4 mg egg^?1) on embryonic day 17 (E17). The activity of the antioxidant enzymes and the concentration of GSH were measured at E17, E18, and E19 in the medulla oblongata, cerebrum, cerebellum, and optic lobe. The results indicated a significant decrease in the GSH concentrations in the optic lobe (E19, E20) and cerebrum (E20) of embryos exposed to ACR. The activities of SOD and GPx were significantly increased in the majority of the examined structures after injection of ACR. CAT activity was completely inhibited in the brains of the embryos exposed to ACR compared to that in the brains of the control embryos. Thus, we concluded that ACR exerts a significant influence on the redox balance in the developing brain by impacting the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the levels of GSH.