Fossil fungi with suggested affinities to the Endogonaceae from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica

View/ Open
Issue Date
2012-07-01Author
Krings, Michael
Taylor, Thomas N.
Dotzler, Nora
Persichini, Gianna
Publisher
The Mycological Society of America
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Documented fossil evidence of zygomycetous fungi is rare. A conspicuous fungal fossil, Jimwhitea circumtecta gen. et sp. nov., occurs in permineralized peat from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica. The fossil is interpreted as a mantled zygosporangium that buds from a macrogametangium subtended by a sac-like macrosuspensor. The macrogametangium is united at its tip with a microgametangium which is subtended by a micro-suspensor. This configuration is strikingly similar to the zygosporangium-gametangia complexes seen in certain modern Endogonaceae. Co-occurring with J. circumtecta are isolated propagules closely resembling the zygosporangium of J. circumtecta and a portion of a sporocarp containing zygosporangia embedded in a gleba. Several of the sporangia are borne on ovoid or elongate structures, which we interpret as gametangia. These fossils offer an exceptionally detailed view of the morphology and reproductive biology of early Mesozoic zygomycetes.
Description
This is the publisher's version, also available from http://www.mycologia.org/content/104/4/835.
Collections
Citation
Michael Krings, Thomas N. Taylor, Nora Dotzler, and Gianna Persichini. "Fossil fungi with suggested affinities to the Endogonaceae from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica." Mycologia, 104(4), 2012, pp. 835–844. http://www.dx.doi.org/10.3852/11-384.
Items in KU ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
We want to hear from you! Please share your stories about how Open Access to this item benefits YOU.