Article
Plant Sciences
Christopher J. Cleal, Barry A. Thomas
Summary: A more natural taxonomy of Carboniferous lyginopteridalean seed-plant fronds has been achieved by considering additional characters related to frond architecture and rachial features. This revised classification now recognizes eight fossil-genera, clarifying their diagnostic descriptions, nomenclatural types, and stratigraphical/chronological distribution. This improved classification will enhance studies on past plant diversity and floristics, and also requires reclassifying some fossil-species of fern fronds into fossil-genera defined by reproductive structures.
Article
Biology
Jacob S. Suissa, William E. Friedman
Summary: A comprehensive study using fern data reveals three paradigm shifts in fern vascular evolution and identifies developmental changes in body size as a major driver of vascular architecture shifts. The research also highlights the explosive phenotypic innovation during the early Carboniferous radiation of crown-group ferns and the decoupling of vascular evolution rates from lineage diversification in the rise of eupolypods during the Cretaceous and Cenozoic periods.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Mycology
Rakel Blaalid, Maryia Khomich
Summary: Chytridiomycota is the most species-rich phylum of basal lineage fungi involved in vital processes in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. However, the diversity and richness of this group remain cryptic in Northern Europe, where recent classifications of early diverging fungal lineages differ considerably on the diversity of chytrid species and their taxonomic placement.
FUNGAL BIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Doris Ilicic, Hans-Peter Grossart
Summary: Aquatic and parasitic fungi play key roles in microbial food webs and biogeochemical cycles in marine ecosystems. Recent research using molecular tools has revealed their greater diversity and ecological potential. However, their interactions with other microorganisms and their ecological functions remain largely speculative and require further research.
Article
Microbiology
Yanyan Yang, Stefanos Banos, Gunnar Gerdts, Antje Wichels, Marlis Reich
Summary: The study reveals that the diversity of fungal communities in river ecosystems changes significantly along the river gradient, mainly driven by local environmental conditions and spatial control. The assembly processes of fungal communities also differ significantly between regions, with variable selection dominating the upstream sections and ecological drift dominating areas close to the river mouth and beyond. Dispersal plays a minor role in shaping fungal community composition.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peter Wilf, Xiaoyu Zou, Michael P. Donovan, Laszlo Kocsis, Antonino Briguglio, David Shaw, J. W. Ferry Slik, Joseph J. Lambiase
Summary: This article presents a paleobotanical survey conducted in Brunei Darussalam in the Malay Archipelago, which discovered rich plant fossils indicating the existence of complex coastal rainforests dominated by dipterocarps for the past 4-5 million years.
Article
Microbiology
Deirdre G. Hanrahan-Tan, Linda Henderson, Michael A. Kertesz, Osu Lilje
Summary: This study examined the growth and reproductive characteristics of three species of soil chytrids under different nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. The results showed variations in the response of different isolates to nitrogen and phosphate, with some isolates showing preference for ammonium over nitrate and increased attachment rates in the absence of inorganic nitrogen. The study also introduced new techniques for studying soil chytrid biomass and zoospore motility using total protein quantification and fluorescent imaging.
Article
Microbiology
Doris Ilicic, Jason Woodhouse, Ulf Karsten, Jonas Zimmermann, Thomas Wichard, Maria Liliana Quartino, Gabriela Laura Campana, Alexandra Livenets, Silke Van den Wyngaert, Hans-Peter Grossart
Summary: Aquatic ecosystems, including polar regions, are important habitats for fungi, yet their diversity and ecological roles are still not fully understood. This study examines fungal diversity in Antarctic benthic habitats and their correlation with salinity, revealing the impact of salinity on shaping the fungal and eukaryotic communities. Moreover, the study emphasizes the need for further research on the taxonomy and ecological roles of Chytridiomycota in these habitats.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Fa Zhang, Saranyaphat Boonmee, Yao-Quan Yang, Fa-Ping Zhou, Wen Xiao, Xiao-Yan Yang
Summary: During a survey in Yunnan, China, two new species of carnivorous fungi resembling the ancient P. dimorphus were discovered and identified as Arthrobotrys blastospora. This finding resolves the uncertainties surrounding the accuracy and ancestral position of P. dimorphus.
Article
Microbiology
Alan Denis Fernandez-Valero, Albert Rene, Natalia Timoneda, Nagore Sampedro, Esther Garces
Summary: This study evaluated the diversity of Chytridiomycota in phytoplankton communities in the NW Mediterranean Sea and demonstrated their interactions with their hosts. The relative abundance of Chytrids was highest in samples dominated by dinoflagellates, indicating the presence of specific chytrid communities. The study also identified and described three species of Chytridiomycota, including one of the most abundant environmental sequences and two previously undescribed species.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Mycology
R. K. Saxena, N. N. Wijayawardene, D. Q. Dai, K. D. Hyde, P. M. Kirk
Summary: The article documents diverse types of fungal spores in the fossil records, classified into artificial suprageneric taxa based on morphological characters. Fossil fungal spores are found globally and throughout various sediment layers, with some affinity to extant taxa.
Article
Biology
Madison Tripp, Jasmina Wiemann, Jochen Brocks, Paul Mayer, Lorenz Schwark, Kliti Grice
Summary: Coprolites (fossilised faeces) can provide insights into extinct animal diets through the analysis of preserved biomarkers and macromolecular biosignatures. In this study, Carboniferous coprolites were found to indicate a likely carnivorous diet based on the abundance of cholesteroids and the statistical analysis of in situ Raman spectra. The exceptional preservation of biomolecular information in these coprolites was facilitated by siderite concretions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ferenc Orosz
Summary: The loss of the flagellum is a significant step in fungal evolution, and TPPP-like proteins play a crucial role in flagellum occurrence. The Olpidium bornovanus of the flagellated fungi demonstrates fungal-type TPPP with two p25alpha domains, resembling other flagellated fungi.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Marc Philippe, Stephen McLoughlin, Christine Strullu-Derrien, Marion Bamford, Steffen Kiel, Andre Nel, Frederic Thevenard
Summary: This article discusses the fossil evidence of biotic communities parasitic on wood and emphasizes the impact of the diversity of parasites on the deterioration of host wood and the likelihood of fossilization. The study discovered a fossil wood assemblage from the Santonian period in southeast Africa, which contains a diverse biotic community. The research interprets the evolution of the wood-hosted biocoenosis based on the fossils, traces, and other features.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marcelo R. Romero, Gisella Trejo Nieva, Jose Vedelago, Cesar G. Gomez
Summary: A chemical actuator utilizing the internal microstructure of a plant stem was developed, creating an intelligent hydraulic valve with pH-responsive properties. This device demonstrated efficient control of flux and pH-responsive open/close transitions, suitable for application in aqueous systems.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gar W. Rothwell, Ruth A. Stockey
Summary: This study utilizes anatomical analysis of fossils from Vancouver Island, Canada, to support the development of a whole plant concept for the Eocene species of Gleichenia and provide data for the first organismal concept of an extinct species of Gleichenia from the Cenozoic fossil record. The findings suggest that the characteristics of the Gleicheniaceae family were present during the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, with modern species well-established and diversifying.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kathrin Ganz, Cesar Morales-Molino, Erika Gobet, Dmytro Kiosak, Nadezhda Kotova, Jacqueline van Leeuwen, Sergey Makhortykh, Christoph Schworer, Willy Tinner
Summary: This study presents a palaeoecological reinvestigation from the Kardashynskyi mire in southern Ukraine, reconstructing the vegetation dynamics, fire history, and land use for the past 8300 years. The results show that both climate and human activities have driven the vegetation changes, and the remaining special vegetation types are severely threatened under current conditions.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Willem O. van der Knaap, Bas van Geel, Jacqueline F. N. van Leeuwen, Frans Roescher, Dick Mol
Summary: Pollen analysis of fossilized teeth from a giant deer found in The Netherlands provides insights into the diet, landscape, and climate of the specimen. The study suggests that the giant deer most likely lived during the early Eemian or an early Weichselian interstadial.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yun Guo, Yu Zhou, Josef Psenicka, Jiri Bek, Jana Votockova Frojdova, Zhuo Feng
Summary: A new species of adpressed leptosporangiate fern, Szea yunnanensis sp. nov., is described from Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The fronds of this new species have unique characteristics such as fertile pinnules with triangular to falcate shape and abaxial sori arranged in one row on each side of the midvein.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Adele C. M. Julier, Glynis J. Humphrey, Caitlin Dixon, Lindsey Gillson
Summary: The relationships between woody vegetation cover and fire, climate, herbivory, and human activities in African savanna ecosystems are complex. Fire suppression policies implemented in a national park in northeast Namibia from 1888 to 2005 did not lead to noticeable decreases in fire or enhanced tree recruitment, suggesting that fire occurrence in savanna ecosystems is more closely linked to climate than management. Fire management should adapt to rainfall variability and integrate customs of early dry season burning.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Milan Libertin, Jiri Kvacek, Jiri Bek
Summary: This paper revises the genus Aberlemnia from the Early Devonian of Scotland based on its type-material A. caledonica and describes a new species, Aberlemnia krizii sp. nov, from the Silurian of Czechia. The study provides detailed diagnoses and highlights the differences between the two species. Aberlemnia is positioned on an evolutionary clade line leading to the Lycophytina.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
