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Article: Preservation in peat. (a polysaccharide in sphagnum moss contains residues of an unstable keto-uronic acid which could explain known facts)
- Article from:
- Chemistry and Industry
- Article date:
- June 17, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 Society of Chemical Industry. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A polysaccharide in Sphagnum moss contains residues of an unstable keto-uronic acid which could explain the known facts about preservation in peat eat-bog bodies are unexpectedly abundant. Just a few discoveries of such bodies could be classed as rare exceptions, but 10 have been found in Norway, 45 in Finland, 55 in Sweden, 57 in England, 60 in Ireland, 418 in Denmark, and 602 in Germany.1-4 They were all discovered in peat derived mainly or almost exclusively from Sphagnum mosses. The existence of peat is in itself a preservation phenomenon: residues of higher plants usually decompose much more quickly.5
If Sphagnum or its breakdown products can protect animal ...