The earliest known disease-causing fungus has been found in the plant fossil collections of a museum.
Earliest Known Disease-Causing Fungus Found
The novel plant fungus is estimated to be roughly 407 million years old. It has been named Potteromyces asteroxylicola, named after mycologist and children's writer Beatrix Potter. The fungus is considered a filamentous fungus, which is a specific type of fungus that is typically linked to infections.
The parasitic pathogen was discovered to grow in a prehistoric plant known as Asteroxylon mackiei. It was found in a specimen kept at London's Natural History Museum. The pathogen was observed to have burst through the outer wall of the planet. This caused it to kill the cells of the host and absorb the nutrients.
In response to the fungus, the plant apparently had some dome-shaped growths. The researchers say that this means that the plant was still alive when it was being attacked by the fungus.
This discovery, which was detailed in the "A fungal plant pathogen discovered in the Devonian Rhynie Chert" study, serves as the earliest recorded evidence of a parasitic fungus that causes disease on a plant.
Confirming the Newfound Parasitic Fungus
As the researchers were looking at plant samples with a confocal microscope in order to come up with a 3D image, they noticed that one slide at the museum had a fungus that had never been seen before. However, given how fungal appearances could be different across individuals, the team was only able to confirm the new species when another specimen was discovered.
The second specimen was discovered in the collection of the National Museums Scotland. Paleontologist Christine Strullu-Derrien from the Natural History Museum London, who is also the lead author of the study, explains that unlike dinosaur studies, fungal studies require finding more than one specimen in order to confirm the uniqueness of a discovery. Strullu-Derrien explains that she found the Potteromyces sample in 2015, but it was only years after that she found another one that could help her describe it.
The fossil samples kept in the two museums were from the Rhynie Chert, which is a rock layer that holds preserved fungi, bacteria, plants, and even animals from the period of the Early Devonian (roughly 419 million to 313 million years ago).
This new discovery serves as the latest evidence that further stretches current understanding about fungi. Strullu-Derrien explains that though other fungal parasites have been previously discovered in the area, this is the first time that a plant-disease-causing one has been found. What's more, the fungus can offer a crucial point for dating the evolution of various groups of fungi.
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