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First record of a termite-fungus association in Oligocene evergreen oak wood type (Quercoxylon) from Central Europe
David Krejčíř1, Jakub Sakala2, Vladimír Gryc3
1Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic.
Background And Aims:
The Eocene-Oligocene transition (∼33.5 Ma) brought major climatic change with lasting effects on terrestrial ecosystems. Termites are important indicators of palaeoenvironmental conditions in terrestrial ecosystems, and here we report hexagonal termite coprolites (Microcarpolithes hexagonalis Vangerow) preserved within anatomically well-characterized silicified evergreen oak wood type (Quercoxylon aff. helladae) from the Oligocene Menilite Formation of Central Europe.
Key Results:
The material, recovered from Quaternary terraces of the Bečva River (Czech Republic), represents redeposited silicified wood originally derived from Menilite facies. Thin sections and micro-computed tomography reveal termite galleries filled with coprolites, closely associated with clamp-bearing hyphae and pocket-rot features consistent with white-rot Basidiomycota, documenting a close spatial co-occurrence of termite-produced coprolites and fungal structures within a single specimen and providing new insight into decay processes in Oligocene forest ecosystems.
Conclusions:
The observed association highlights the complexity of saproxylic communities in Oligocene forests of Central Europe and is consistent with the presence of locally warm, humid (subtropical) conditions despite global cooling.
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