Assessment of biodegradation in ancient archaeological wood from the Middle Cemetery at Abydos, Egypt (original) (raw)
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SURVEY FOR FUNGAL DECAYING ARCHAEOLOGICAL WOOD AND THEIR ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY
Fungi play a considerable role in deterioration/degradation of cultural heritage due to their enormous enzymatic activity. A total of 112 fungalisolates were identificated from selected archaeological wood objects located at different areas (Islamic Art Museum, Storage area of Cheops's Solar Boat, Excavation of Saqqara and Grand Egyptian Museum). Aspergillus spp. were predominant in all investigated samples. Thirty seven fungal isolates were screened for cellulases, pectinases and ligninases activity. Aspergillus brasiliensis Varga, Frisvad et Janos and Penicillium duclauxii Delacroixexhibited high cellulolytic activity while Aspergillus amstelodami and Aspergillus parasiticus have high pectinolytic activity. Seven fungal species showed ligninolytic potential activity based on their ability to oxidize dyes.
Mycological Progress, 2020
La Muette" is an eighteenth-century hunting lodge located in the forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. This study consisted in the implementation of multidisciplinary analytical tools to characterize the fungal biocontamination of woods inside the monument. The fungal colonization was first mapped by macroscopic visual observation of all the rooms. Brown rot and white rot present in different rooms and fruiting bodies of Serpula lacrymans were observed on the first and second floors in localized areas. At the same time, air sampling was carried out, and the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) specific to the activity of fungi were analysed by gas chromatography. The analysis of the VOCs confirmed the presence of active developments of moulds and S. lacrymans in the pavilion. Wood samples were collected from areas with visible fungal colonization and subjected to culturing, extraction of DNA and analysis of the ITS sequences after PCR amplification. Culturing and microscopic observation revealed the presence of several moulds: Penicillium sp., Cladosporium sp., Acremonium sp., Humicola sp., Rhizopus sp. and Mucor sp. Isolates not identified by this approach were identified by analysing ITS sequences as Trichoderma atroviride, Engyodontium album and Umbelopsis isabellina. The presence of additional Ascomycota (Acremonium charticola, Aspergillus conicus, Chaetomium elatum, Lecanicillium sp.) and of the Basidiomycota Coprinellus aff. radians was revealed after DNA extraction, amplification and analysis of ITS sequences directly on wood samples. In conclusion, a high fungal diversity including moulds, S. lacrymans and C. aff. radians was demonstrated in association with altered wood in the monument.
Microchemical Journal
The archaeological site of Biskupin (Poland) is a prehistoric settlement dating to the 8 th century BC, situated on a marshy island. Excavations started in 1934 and a considerable number of wooden artifacts was found in the lake water. Unfortunately, during many years of archaeological excavations, wooden remains deposited in the trenches were exposed to degradation and underwent considerable decomposition. Among the main causes of wood degradation, fungi and bacteria were the most destructive ones. The chemical effects induced by fungi and bacteria on wood are not well known or studied. Here we present the investigation of a set of pine wood samples (Pinus sylvestris) buried in the Biskupin site, with the aim of reproducing the burial conditions of the original archaeological wood. Two monitoring stations (wet peat and lake water) were chosen and the samples were then removed from these burial environments after four and ten years. After removal, the samples were exposed to laboratory-controlled attack by the brown rot fungus Coniophora puteana. The final aim was to evaluate the effects of fungal activity on the wood substrates with different degrees of natural degradation. The study is part of an experiment designed to evaluate the short-term effects of the in situ preservation strategy adopted for the Biskupin archaeological woods. Various techniques were used to assess the physical and chemical degradation of the wood. The morphological changes induced by the exposure to the burial environment and by the action of the fungi were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chemical state of the wood was evaluated by using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), analytical pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and XRD spectroscopy. Fungal action caused the depletion of polysaccharides resulting in mass loss and the FTIR spectra of the wood samples highlighted that cellulose was more degraded with respect to hemicelluloses. This trend correlated with an increase in the relative abundance of furans, which are among the main pyrolysis products of polysaccharides. Fungal attack also
International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 2014
The use of wood in construction has been part of mankind's history but wood placed into the environment is affected by biotic and abiotic agents and is degraded over time. Even in extreme environments, such as dry desert sites, deterioration of wood can take place. One site located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile is the Humberstone and Santa Laura saltpeter works where offices and other structures were built of wood. Founded in 1872, the Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 for its historic significance. Since significant deterioration in the wooden buildings has taken place, investigations were initiated to better understand the degradation underway so conservation efforts to protect the historic buildings can be developed. The objectives of this study were to identify the type of deterioration and decay taking place and to isolate and identify fungi from wood samples of structural elements at both sites. Samples of deteriorated wood showed extensive degradation that resulted in a defibration of the wood. The middle lamella between cells was degraded and remaining secondary walls separated due to high concentrations of salts. This resulted in a serious corrosion of the exterior layers of wood cells. Although high salts inhibit fungi, many different fungi were isolated. Sequencing of the ITS region of the rDNA was used and fungi were identified as Penicillium chrysogenum, Engyodontium album, Eupenicillium tropicum, Penicillium digitatum, Pseudotaeniolina globosa, Cladosporium phaenocomae, Aureobasidium pullulans, Penicillium virgatum, Coprinopsis sp. and Phanerochaete sordida. Several of these fungi appear to be halophilic.
Characterization of wood destroying microorganisms in archaeological woods from marine environments
Wood associated with terrestrial sites can often be lost to biodeterioration in a relatively short period of time because conditions that support wood-degrading fungi prevail. In contrast, degradation of wood from marine environments often takes place very slowly and some woods may survive for millennia if conditions that sustain microbial decomposition are limited or absent. Usually, however, conditions are conducive for decay and waterlogged woods are found in various stages of decomposition. Once these woods have been recovered from the sea they present significant problems to conservators because of their saturated condition, loss of integrity due to decay and inclusion of elements absorbed from surrounding substrates. To insure preservation of these historically significant woods it is essential to understand the type and degree of degradation and accumulation of various metals or other elements within them. Results presented are from three shipwrecks; a Greek merchant ship dating from the fifth century B.C.E., located near Tektaş Burnu, Turkey, a 3300 year old, Late Bronze Age ship discovered near Uluburun in southern Turkey and the USS Monitor, which sank off of the east coast of the United States in 1862. Wood samples collected from the wrecks displayed varying degrees of degradation caused by soft rot fungi and bacteria. The bacterial attack can be separated into different groups based on the morphology of their decay patterns. Erosion and tunneling degradation caused by bacteria were the primary types of cell wall attack. Environmental influences and secondary scavenging bacteria often had an effect on the altered cell walls and frequently masked the decay patterns caused by these two principal degraders. Soft rot caused by fungi and bacterial degradation were responsible for significant losses of both cellulose and hemicellulose in secondary cell walls. In addition to degrading the secondary wall, tunneling bacteria were also found to degrade parts of the middle lamella. Although degradation has occurred in these woods, they appeared to have survived because of high levels of copper, lead, iron, boron and other elements that may be inhibitory to microbial growth. While these substances that infiltrated the wood structure from surrounding substrates and artifacts may be responsible for their longevity, they can also cause significant difficulties when trying to conserve the wood. These wooden remnants often contain relatively high concentrations of sulfur which reacts with oxygen over time to produce sulfuric acid, a process that appears to be enhanced in the presence of iron. If preservation of these historically significant woods is to be successful, knowledge of their morphology and chemistry must be determined so proper steps can be taken to conserve them for future generations.
The identification of fungal species in dead wood of oak
Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria
Background. The wood of dead, dying and living trees is a very important element of the forest ecosystem. The existence of many species of fungi is closely related to the presence of dead wood in the stand. The fungi community is a group of different species occurring in a certain time and space. The species composition of such a community is not constant and changes with the passage of wood into successive stages of decay. The impact on the formation of the fungi communities has a primary species composition occurring on and in the wood. The first wood is populated by species capable of decomposing fresh wood, then penetrating the structure of wood already violated, and in the final stage, settling on wood that is heavily decayed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the species composition of fungal communities on pedunculate oak Quercus robur L. wood. The material was downloaded from the area of the Drawa National Park (from 15°45' to 16°45'E, from 53°00' to 53°15'N) and divided into three stages of wood decomposition. Methods. The detection of fungi was done, using the method of molecular biology. The use of molecular methods was based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cloning and sequencing by method described by Method of Sanger. The resulting sequence was compared with the reference sequence from the NCBI database. Results. The species composition of communities differed between various stages of decomposition. The most numerous was represented by Ascomycota. When analyzing the first stage of decomposition, 25 clones were obtained which represented three taxa. In the second stage 32 clones were obtained which represented 5 taxa. In the case of the third stage of decomposition, a positive result was not achieved. The taxonomy common in and with the II degree of decomposition was Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. The differences in the species composition between the species that settle the individual decomposition levels indicate the succession of species during the decomposition of wood. Except for species associated with wood degradation, these observed species have no significance for forest management.
Investigations of Biodeterioration by Fungi in Historic Wooden Churches of Chiloé, Chile
2014
The use of wood in construction has had a long history and Chile has a rich cultural heritage of using native woods for building churches and other important structures. In 2000, UNESCO designated a number of the historic churches of Chiloé, built entirely of native woods, as World Heritage Sites. These unique churches were built in the late 1700 s and throughout the 1800 s, and because of their age and exposure to the environment, they have been found to have serious deterioration problems. Efforts are underway to better understand these decay processes and to carryout conservation efforts for the long-term preservation of these important structures. This study characterized the types of degradation taking place and identified the wood decay fungi obtained from eight historic churches in Chiloé, seven of them designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Micromorphological observations identified white, brown and soft rot in the structural woods and isolations provided pure cultures of fungi that were identified by sequencing of the internal transcribed region of rDNA. Twenty-nine Basidiomycota and 18 Ascomycota were found. These diverse groups of fungi represent several genera and species not previously reported from Chile and demonstrates a varied microflora is causing decay in these historic buildings.
The frequency and diversity of wood inhabiting fungi in the exterior wood were established in the Araishi lake fortress, the Lielvarde wooden castle, the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, Riga, and twelve wooden heritage objects in the Eastern part of Latvia (Latgale). The inspected wooden structures of the external woodwork included windows, stairs, walls, floorings, roofs, fences, and benches. Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst.) were the primary construction materials used in the inspected objects. Roofs, walls and fences were the most commonly decayed outdoor structures. The fungi from the phyla Basidiomycota, Ascomycota and Protozoa (Myxomycota) were identified. Common fungal genera were Antrodia, Gloeophyllum, Athelia, Hyphoderma, Hyphodontia, Pharenochaete, Postia and Botryobasidium. Mainly corticoid and poroid species were recorded in the outdoor structures. The predominance of white-rot, represented by corticoids, in the external wood...