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Simbiosis similar a la de los líquenes hace 600 millones de años
Xunlai Yuan1, Shuhai Xiao, T N Taylor
1Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Nanjing 210008, China.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 14, 2005
Resumen
Los hongos fósiles y los líquenes son raros. Los investigadores descubrieron antiguos fósiles de líquenes en el sur de China, que muestran que los hongos se asociaron con las algas antes de que las plantas evolucionaran.
Área de la Ciencia:
- Paleontología Paleontología.
- La micología de la micología.
- Astrobiología Astrobiología.
Sus antecedentes:
- El registro fósil de hongos y líquenes es notablemente escaso.
- Comprender las primeras relaciones simbióticas es crucial para los estudios evolutivos.
Objetivo del estudio:
- Para informar sobre el descubrimiento de antiguos fósiles parecidos a líquenes.
- Investigar la evolución temprana de las asociaciones simbióticas entre hongos y fotoautótrofos.
Principales métodos:
- Descubrimiento de un fósil en depósitos marinos de fosforita de la Formación Doushantuo.
- Análisis microscópico de hifas filamentosas fosilizadas asociadas con cianobacterias o algas.
Principales resultados:
- El descubrimiento de fósiles parecidos a líquenes fechados entre 551 y 635 millones de años.
- Evidencia de estrechas asociaciones entre hifas fúngicas y cianobacterias cocoidales o algas.
- Fósiles conservados en Weng'an, en el sur de China.
Conclusiones:
- Los hongos formaron asociaciones simbióticas con fotoautótrofos antes de la aparición de las plantas vasculares.
- Estos hallazgos retrasan la línea de tiempo para las complejas relaciones simbióticas en la historia de la Tierra.
- La Formación Doushantuo proporciona una ventana única a las primeras formas de vida.
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