Adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservation
Abstract The preservation of soft tissue in the fossil record is mostly due to the replacement of organic structures by minerals (e.g. calcite, aragonite or apatite) called pseudomorphs. In rare cases soft tissues were preserved by pyrite. We assume that adipocere, as the shaping component, might be...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14119-8 |
| _version_ | 1811343479089922048 |
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| author | Bastian Mähler Kathrin Janssen Mariam Tahoun Frank Tomaschek Rico Schellhorn Christa E. Müller Gabriele Bierbaum Jes Rust |
| author_facet | Bastian Mähler Kathrin Janssen Mariam Tahoun Frank Tomaschek Rico Schellhorn Christa E. Müller Gabriele Bierbaum Jes Rust |
| author_sort | Bastian Mähler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The preservation of soft tissue in the fossil record is mostly due to the replacement of organic structures by minerals (e.g. calcite, aragonite or apatite) called pseudomorphs. In rare cases soft tissues were preserved by pyrite. We assume that adipocere, as the shaping component, might be a preliminary stage in the pyritisation of soft tissues under anaerobic conditions. Using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet and mass spectrometric detection (HPLC–UV/MS) and confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) we were able to demonstrate the transformation of the hepatopancreas (digestive gland) of the crayfish Cambarellus diminutus [Hobbs 1945] into adipocere within only 9 days, just inside a biofilm. Microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) which were responsible for the biofilm (Sphaerotilus [Kutzig 1833] and Pluteus [Fries 1857]) and maybe the adipocere formation (Clostridium [Prazmowski 1880]) were detected by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Furthermore, micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) analyses revealed a precipitation of calcite and further showed that in animals with biofilm formation calcite precipitates in finer grained crystals than in individuals without biofilm formation, and that the precipitates were denser and replicated the structures of the cuticles better than the coarse precipitates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T19:29:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c742fa0aa834f9e94731e954f39f251 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T19:29:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c742fa0aa834f9e94731e954f39f2512022-12-22T02:33:13ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-06-0112111410.1038/s41598-022-14119-8Adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservationBastian Mähler0Kathrin Janssen1Mariam Tahoun2Frank Tomaschek3Rico Schellhorn4Christa E. Müller5Gabriele Bierbaum6Jes Rust7Section Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität BonnInstitute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms UniversitätPharmazeutisches Institut, Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnSection Geochemistry/Petrology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnSection Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität BonnPharmazeutisches Institut, Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnInstitute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms UniversitätSection Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität BonnAbstract The preservation of soft tissue in the fossil record is mostly due to the replacement of organic structures by minerals (e.g. calcite, aragonite or apatite) called pseudomorphs. In rare cases soft tissues were preserved by pyrite. We assume that adipocere, as the shaping component, might be a preliminary stage in the pyritisation of soft tissues under anaerobic conditions. Using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet and mass spectrometric detection (HPLC–UV/MS) and confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) we were able to demonstrate the transformation of the hepatopancreas (digestive gland) of the crayfish Cambarellus diminutus [Hobbs 1945] into adipocere within only 9 days, just inside a biofilm. Microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) which were responsible for the biofilm (Sphaerotilus [Kutzig 1833] and Pluteus [Fries 1857]) and maybe the adipocere formation (Clostridium [Prazmowski 1880]) were detected by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Furthermore, micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) analyses revealed a precipitation of calcite and further showed that in animals with biofilm formation calcite precipitates in finer grained crystals than in individuals without biofilm formation, and that the precipitates were denser and replicated the structures of the cuticles better than the coarse precipitates.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14119-8 |
| spellingShingle | Bastian Mähler Kathrin Janssen Mariam Tahoun Frank Tomaschek Rico Schellhorn Christa E. Müller Gabriele Bierbaum Jes Rust Adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservation Scientific Reports |
| title | Adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservation |
| title_full | Adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservation |
| title_fullStr | Adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservation |
| title_short | Adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservation |
| title_sort | adipocere formation in biofilms as a first step in soft tissue preservation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14119-8 |
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