The oldest fossil ascomycetes

Ascomycetes are the largest group of true fungi, and characteristically produce their sexual spores in a sac-like structure called the ascus. They include medicinal agents (such as ergot), plant pathogens (Dutch elm disease is caused by an ascomycete) and yeasts used in fermentation. We have found t...

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Published inNature (London) Vol. 399; no. 6737; p. 648
Main Authors Taylor, T. N, Hass, H, Kerp, H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Nature Publishing Group 17.06.1999
Subjects
Ascomycetes
Ascomycota
Asteroxylon
Chert
Devonian
Fermentation
Fossils
Scotland
Yeasts
Scotland
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Summary:Ascomycetes are the largest group of true fungi, and characteristically produce their sexual spores in a sac-like structure called the ascus. They include medicinal agents (such as ergot), plant pathogens (Dutch elm disease is caused by an ascomycete) and yeasts used in fermentation. We have found the oldest ascomycetous fungi with flask-shaped ascocarps in thin-section preparations of the Lower Devonian (400 million years old) Rhynie chert of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This discovery has implications for dating the origin of this group of fungi, and underscores the diversity of fungal-plant interactions early in the colonization of the land.
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ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/21349