Courtesy / UC
Giant endomicorrizic fungi spores
In the geological formations of the Buçaco Basin, fossils in a giant way of mycorrhizal fungal spores are unpublished.
Were discovered in Anadia, Aveiro, primitive fungi fossils, with 300 million years.
In one of Portuguese researchers led by paleontologist Pedro Correia, the fossils, discovered in the geological formations of the Buçaco Basin, are unpublished: “They correspond to a giant form of mycorrhizal fungal spores, hitherto, completely unknown to science.”
“Belonging to the new genre and new species Megaglomerospora lealiae, these fungi fossils represent the higher documented spores for the Glomeromycota division of the Fungi Kingdom, ”explains Pedro Correia, in a statement sent to Zap-
Glomeromicotan fungi comprise one of the most common and widespread groups, which groups symbiotic organisms of the micorrhizae, responsible for the formation of mycorrhizal symbiotic associations (called endomicorrhizers), with roots of about 80% of today’s known vascular plants. These endomicorrizic fungi form asexual spores with a diameter of 40 to 800 microimeters (μm) in the soil and plant tissue.
«Despite its small dimension, about 1.6mm in diameterthese fossils were a gigante among the fungal spores of the class Glomeromycetes, which existed about 300 million years ago, at the end of the carboniferous period, and never before documented in fossilized glomeromycotan fungi and modern endomicorrizal fungi, ”describes the main author of the scientific article.
«The discovery of Megaglomerospora lealiae In the Buçaco Basin is a significant advance in knowledge of diversity and evolutionary history about mutualistic symbiotic interactions between vascular plants and mycorrhizal fungi. In addition, these new findings correspond to the First record of an endomicorrizal fungus discovered on the carboniferous Iberian peninsula», Continues Pedro Correia, researcher at the Center for Geosciences (CGEO) of the Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra (FCTUC).
Oxygen vs. carbon dioxide
At the end of the carboniferous period, the atmospheric concentrations of oxygen They reached exceptionally high levels, estimated between 30% and 35%, far above the current 21%.
This high oxygen availability has allowed them to develop large structurescapable of exploring vast root areas for efficient nutrient exchange between fungal and plant organisms, a crucial adaptation in a highly competitive and diverse ecological environment at the time.
On the other hand, the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide They were relatively low compared to other geological periods.
The decrease in CO₂, in combination with increased plant biomass, required greater efficiency in absorption of nutrients by plantswhich potentially boosted symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi.
“These fungi played an essential role in optimizing phosphorus capture and other essential nutrients, promoting the development of extensive mycorrhizal networks and, consequently, large fungal structures, when compared to today’s,” describes the team of Portuguese researchers.
Paleontologists add that “the relevance of this discovery lies in the confirmation that symbiotic associations have already played a crucial role in the structuring of land ecosystems for about 300 million years ago. The study of this new fossil now described provides important information about the interactions between fungi and plantscontributing to a deeper understanding of the ecological processes that shaped the flora of Paleozoic. ”
