Fungal Carnivorism : Evolved Due to Mass Exctinctions? Or Not?

Origin and evolution of carnivorism in the Ascomycota (fungi)


1. Ence Yang (a)
2. Lingling Xu (a,b)
3. Ying Yang (a)
4. Xinyu Zhang (a)
5. Meichun Xiang (a)
6. Chengshu Wang (c)
7. Zhiqiang An (d, *)
8. Xingzhong Liu (a, *)

a. State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

b. College of Biotechnology, Xi'an University of Arts and Science, Xi'an 710065, China

c. Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China

d. Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030

*. To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: zhiqiang.an@uth.tmc.edu or liuxz@im.ac.cn.

Abstract:

Carnivorism is one of the basic life strategies of fungi. Carnivorous fungi possess the ability to trap and digest their preys by sophisticated trapping devices. However, the origin and development of fungal carnivorism remains a gap in evolution biology. In this study, five protein-encoding genes were used to construct the phylogeny of the carnivorous fungi in the phylum Ascomycota; these fungi prey on nematodes by means of specialized trapping structures such as constricting rings and adhesive traps. Our analysis revealed a definitive pattern of evolutionary development for these trapping structures. Molecular clock calibration based on two fossil records revealed that fungal carnivorism diverged from saprophytism about 419 Mya, which was after the origin of nematodes about 550–600 Mya. Active carnivorism (fungi with constricting rings) and passive carnivorism (fungi with adhesive traps) diverged from each other around 246 Mya, shortly after the occurrence of the Permian–Triassic extinction event about 251.4 Mya. The major adhesive traps evolved around 198–208 Mya, which was within the time frame of the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event about 201.4 Mya. However, no major carnivorous ascomycetes divergence was correlated to the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event, which occurred more recently (about 65.5 Mya). Therefore, a causal relationship between mass extinction events and fungal carnivorism evolution is not validated in this study. More evidence including additional fossil records is needed to establish if fungal carnivorism evolution was a response to mass extinction events.

No time & link.  Perhaps they ought to consider whether or not the KT Extinction was uniquely different than the PT/TJ and whether or not that might have some important bits.

That Funky Cheronbyl Fungal Groove

Some fungi eat radiation to fuel their growth, a new study has found.

Three species of fungi containing the black pigment melanin—a substance also present in human skin—grew larger and faster when exposed to high levels of radiation, even when deprived of nutrients.

A similar response was not seen in fungi lacking the pigment, as well as in fungi that did not receive the radiation exposure.

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at New York's Yeshiva University were inspired by previous observations of enhanced fungus growth inside the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear reactor, after the Ukrainian facility exploded in 1986.

The team performed a series of experiments to test whether the fungi could be harvesting radiation to fuel their own growth, much like plants do when they capture solar energy through photosynthesis.

In addition to the faster fungal growth, the researchers noted changes in the electrical structure of the melanin exposed to radiation.

Lead researcher Ekaterina Dadachova said these observations suggest that the pigment may play a role similar to that of chlorophyll in plants, which traps energy from sunlight and converts it to "food energy" needed to sustain life.

"We have associated the faster growth caused by radiation with melanin—a phenomenon suggesting that the pigment is somehow involved in harvesting high-energy ionizing radiation and promoting growth, she said.

THis might be completely irrelevant. The end times ecologies could be damned interesting and post phytic. kewl! Even kewler if they could develop into very large macroscopic structures.