Lichen-Like Symbiosis 600 Million Years Ago
Top Cited Papers
- 13 May 2005
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 308 (5724) , 1017-1020
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1111347
Abstract
The fossil record of fungi and lichens is scarce. Here we report the discovery of lichen-like fossils, involving filamentous hyphae closely associated with coccoidal cyanobacteria or algae, preserved in marine phosphorite of the Doushantuo Formation (between 551 and 635 million years old) at Weng'an, South China. These fossils indicate that fungi developed symbiotic partnerships with photoautotrophs before the evolution of vascular plants.Keywords
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