Bacterial degradation of lignified wood cell walls in anaerobic aquatic habitats

Holt, D. M.; Jones, E. B. G.

doi:10.1128/aem.46.3.722-727.1983

Cited by 63 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…The morphological decay features of the chamber forming TB (Fig. 5a, b) were in principle identical to those found in earlier SEM (scanning electron microscopy) studies on TB 23,[29][30][31][32] . However, the chambers appeared extremely narrow, which might indicate a more repressed growth in the Antarctic waters.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

First evidence of microbial wood degradation in the coastal waters of the Antarctic

Björdal

Dayton

2020

Sci Rep

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Wood submerged in saline and oxygenated marine waters worldwide is efficiently degraded by crustaceans and molluscs. nevertheless, in the cold coastal waters of the Antarctic, these degraders seem to be absent and no evidence of other wood-degrading organisms has been reported so far. Here we examine long-term exposed anthropogenic wood material (Douglas fir) collected at the seafloor close to McMurdo station, Antarctica. We used light and scanning electron microscopy and demonstrate that two types of specialized lignocellulolytic microbes-soft rot fungi and tunnelling bacteria-are active and degrade wood in this extreme environment. fungal decay dominates and hyphae penetrate the outer 2-4 mm of the wood surface. Decay rates observed are about two orders of magnitude lower than normal. the fungi and bacteria, as well as their respective cavities and tunnels, are slightly smaller than normal, which might represent an adaptation to the extreme cold environment. our results establish that there is ongoing wood degradation also in the Antarctic, albeit at a vastly reduced rate compared to warmer environments. Historical shipwrecks resting on the seafloor are most likely still in good condition, although surface details such as wood carvings, tool marks, and paint slowly disintegrate due to microbial decay. Wood is mainly composed of cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose. These organic components are arranged in complex macro-and micro-fibrils forming the cell wall matrix of each wood fibers. The high concentration of lignin (around 25%) makes wood a very difficult substrate to degrade and only a few specialized organisms in nature have this capacity 1. In marine waters wood degrading organisms can be divided into two groups. The first group consist of macro-organisms (mainly bivalves and crustaceans) that physically gnaw and feed on wood material. The second group are microorganisms , fungi and bacteria, which by enzymatic processes dissolve and utilize the carbohydrates within the wood cell wall 2. Shipworms (Teredinidae and Xylaphagainae) belong to the group of bivalves known as the most aggressive degraders of wood in oxygenated and saline waters worldwide. By forming large internal tunnels they are able to transform solid wooden boards to a perforated material within a few years. This results in a rapid physical breakdown of the wood and a reduction in service life of man-made structures such as harbor pilings and boats 3. The growth, reproduction and distribution of different types of shipworms varies, and their ecology and physiology are well studied 4,5. Microbial degradation of wood in marine waters has received less attention than that of marine borers because the degradation processes are much slower. But in environments where bivalves are physiologically excluded, these specialized fungi and bacteria become the key degraders 6. Such environments include fresh waters, brackish waters, and anoxic waters 7-9. Here wood can survive on the seabed for centuries and unique historic shipwreck can be recovered by ma...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

First evidence of microbial wood degradation in the coastal waters of the Antarctic

Björdal

Dayton

2020

Sci Rep

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“…Limited oxygen access slowed down the development of aerobic bacteria and fungi that, under usual open-air conditions, lead to fast wood decomposition ( Fengel, 1991 ). However, the degradation of the material was not completely prevented in this waterlogged environment because the wood was influenced by its penetration by mineral substances and organic matter dissolved in the lake water, and also by decomposition resulting from the activity of anaerobic microorganisms ( Holt and Jones, 1983 ). These factors, acting over hundreds of years in the sedimentation environment, partially modified the chemical composition and physical properties of the wood ( Kim and Singh, 2000 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-century long density chronology of living and sub-fossil trees from Lake Schwarzensee, Austria

2015

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This paper presents a multi-century, maximum latewood density (MXD) chronology developed from living and sub-fossil spruce trees from the Eastern Alps. The chronology is continuous from 88AD to 2008AD. This time series has been analysed with respect to its possible use for climate reconstruction. Correlations with climatic data showed strong dependence between MXD of growth rings and temperature of April, May, June, July, August and September and a weaker, negative dependence with precipitation of May and September. For solar radiation a positive relationship was noted for April, July, August and September. Light rings were frequently observed within the analysed samples and the climate of years with light rings was examined. Mean monthly temperatures in January, June, August, September and October, averaged during light ring years, were cooler than during years without light rings. Precipitation was also significantly reduced in March during light ring years. In turn, solar radiation during light ring years has significantly lowered values in February and August. The occurrence of light rings was often positively related to strong volcanic events.

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“…In the fresh waters, burial may either reduce weight loss (REICE, 1974;TRISKA and BUCKLEY, 1978) or not (NICHOLS and KEENEY, 1973;GASITH and LAWACZ, 1976). Compared with the surface stream, slower decomposition is probably due to lower oxygen supply, diversity of invertebrate detritivores (HERBST, 1980;STROMMER and SMOCK, 1989;METZLER and SMOCK, 1990) and low activity of aquatic hyphomycetes (HOLT and JONES, 1983). Moreover, HERBST (1980) suggested that leaf decomposition within the sediments is also slower because of less mechanical abrasion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decomposition of Two Different POM Types in Surface Water and within Hyporheic Sediments of a Small Lowland Stream(Sitka, Czech Republic)

Rulı́k

Zavřelová

Duchoslav

2001

Internat. Rev. Hydrobiol.

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Two types of particulate organic materials, pure cellulose and alder catkins from common alder (Alnus glutinosa), were used to determine and compare decomposition rates of POM in two zones of a small lowland stream – the surface water and the hyporheic sediments. Generally, decomposition rates of both POM types incubated within the hyporheic sediments were relatively very slow (k = 0.002–0.005 d–1) compared to that in the surface water (k = 0.02 d–1). Breakdown of both POM types was clearly influenced by water temperature. Invertebrates found on samples of both cellulose and alder catkins, incubated within the hyporheic zone, had much lower species richness compared to samples from the surface water. In the surface water, the dominant species on both materials was the amphipod Rivulogammarus roeselii. Hyporheic samples were dominated by chironomid larvae and tubificids.

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Bacterial degradation of lignified wood cell walls in anaerobic aquatic habitats

Cited by 63 publications

References 13 publications

First evidence of microbial wood degradation in the coastal waters of the Antarctic

First evidence of microbial wood degradation in the coastal waters of the Antarctic

Multi-century long density chronology of living and sub-fossil trees from Lake Schwarzensee, Austria

Decomposition of Two Different POM Types in Surface Water and within Hyporheic Sediments of a Small Lowland Stream(Sitka, Czech Republic)

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