Biogenic infection in Jurassic spores and pollen

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
During a comprehensive biostratigraphic study of the English Jurassic, evidence from several infected specimens indicated that, at first, bacillary hyphae randomly infect the microspore exine. The hyphae subsequently develop spherules by swelling at various places. Finally, the hyphae disintegrate, leaving individual spherules on the host. These spherules degrade the surrounding exine of the host and are shed by the disintegration of the substratum. A formal generic name, Annella, is proposed for the microbe studied here, and two species, A. capitata and A. pulchra, are described and illustrated. The degraded fossil spores and pollen seem to have been infected after their deposition in the sediments. Such biogenic degradations have not been reported as yet in modern, fresh pollen or in situ microfossils.