fossil fungi – mycolab.ai

A new leaf inhabiting ascomycete from the Jurassic (ca 170 Mya) of Yorkshire, UK, and insights into the appearance and diversification of filamentous Ascomycota

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Scientists discovered and described a new ancient fungus called Harristroma eboracense that lived on plant leaves about 170 million years ago during the Jurassic period. This fungus helps us understand how fungi diversified and evolved over time. By studying this fossil and comparing it with modern fungi, researchers learned that fungi began developing specialized structures for infecting plants during the Mesozoic era, and that they likely first thrived on broad-leaved plants in warm, wet forests.

Blue-stain fungus from the Jurassic provides new insights into early evolution and ecological interactions

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Scientists discovered a fossilized blue-stain fungus from the Jurassic period in China, pushing back the earliest known record of these fungi by 80 million years. Blue-stain fungi are wood-colonizing organisms that cause discoloration in trees and can accelerate tree death when paired with wood-boring insects. This discovery reveals that these fungi and their relationships with insects evolved much earlier than previously thought, providing new understanding of ancient forest ecosystems and the evolution of fungal-insect interactions.

Research Keyword: fossil fungi

A new leaf inhabiting ascomycete from the Jurassic (ca 170 Mya) of Yorkshire, UK, and insights into the appearance and diversification of filamentous Ascomycota

Blue-stain fungus from the Jurassic provides new insights into early evolution and ecological interactions