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The Evolutionary Status of Fungi The evolutionary status of fungi tB. S. Mehrotra Mehrotra BS 1992. The evolutionary status of fungi. Paiaeoboianisl 41 23·28. This review reflects on the uncertainties revolving round the origin of fungi and the paucity of the fossil record of these organisms. The main cause for the lack of fossil data is perhaps the insufficient attention these organisms have received and not that they have evaded the attempts to bring them to light. A brief review of the criteria generally used in propounding the hypotheses for the evolution of the modern fungi has also been made. Key-wol'ds-Evolution, Status, Fungi. tB. S. Mebrolra, 23 C. Y. Chinlamani Road, Allahabad. riu ~"riit~~ ~o~o~ ~~mtl'~et1t~<f?f[~~~~q;Tl:Jl'Rit~~~et1t~tl~<f;q;lf~~ ~ ~I ~ ~ mu-~ ~ ~ ~ ~ q;r 'lif{UT~: ~ am: q;lf l:Jl'R t'lT t"if ftl; ~ q;lf q;r <f; q w it et1t ~tl lYPICAL of botanists of his time Professor Sahni had gains since posterity, are two of the many reasons a much broader based knowledge of botany and which have kept a mycologist ever busy in a never whatever he did it was characterised by depth and ending quest for more and more bizarre forms of precision. Besides his outstanding contribution to fungi. Perhaps no other single major group in the palaeobotany, what he did in palaeomycology still Plant Kingdom has such a great degree of holds true. For example, two species of fossil fungi diversification than the Fungi (Delevoryas, 1966). discovered by him and Rao in 1943, viz., Perisporiacites varians, with dark spherical closed ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF FUNGI bodies, and Palaeosordaria lagena, with f1ask­ shaped perithecia, resembling the modern genus We cannot say for sure whether the fungi Sordan'a, still figure in the latest edition of originated during the Precambrian or the Dictionary of Fungi prepared by Ainsworth and Phanerozoic Era, and also how they have sub­ Bisby. sequently evolved during geologic time. A Biological evolution has been defined as a perusal of the fossil records of the two eras change in the diversity and adaptation of convinces us on the truth of this statement. populations of organisms (Mayr, 1974, 1978). In fact, Precambrian it is the diversity of the organic world which is one of the main factors for the never ending interest of a The history of Precambrian life is still biologist in the group of organisms of his choice. mysterious inspite of the use of modern The great diversity of fungi, characterised by wide biochemical, geological and mineralogical methods. range of body types, reproductive mechanisms and It is generally believed that conditions of life at that associations and their complex eucaryotic internal remote epoch when life originated on the earth were organisation, which enables them to adapt to all possible environmental extremes and to accomplish EMays In Evolutionary Plant Biology biosynthetic processes being utilised by man for his Editors, B. S. VenlcarachaJa, Davtd L Dllchet & HaIl K. Maheshwart Publlsber' Bitbal Sahnl Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow 24 THE PAlAEOBOTANIST anoxic. During thiS period anaerobic procaryotic fatty acids (Schopf, 1978). The earliest eucaryote-Iike organisms came into being. Gradually with the fossils probably were less than 1.5 Ga yrs old. Two evolutionary changes in the environment, first the types of such fossils are: (i) branched filaments partially aerobic procaryotes and later the chiefly made up of cells with distinct cross walls that aerobic ones had evolved. Perhaps this latter phase resemble hyphae of fungi or green algae from the of evolution was a polyphyletic one and took place Olkhim Formation of Siberia, about 725 million in a shorter time than the anaerobic evolution of the years old and, (ii) complex flask-shaped microfossils procaryotes (Knoll, 1990). The oxygen was added to of fungi or algae from the Kwagunt Formation, about the atmosphere later when certain photosynthetic 300 million years old. procaryotes, chiefly cyanobacteria (blue·green At present we do not have sufficient evidence algae) came into existence. either to substantiate or reject the concluding The presence of bacteria and blue-green algae remark of the eminent mycologist G.W. Martin during the Precambrian seems to be well (1968) that 'fungi (may) have been present for over documented. Since 1950's, numerous ancient two billion years, from Precambrian time, in aquatic sedimentary deposits, the stromatolites, have been habitats', especially when we know that the found in the form of mounds or pillars made up of Precambrian Era has not received the attention of many thin layers piled one on top of another. They palaeomycologists as it deserved. were first discovered in the Precambrian strata from Phanerozoic Western North America by Walcott and later in Gunflint Iron Formation (age about 2 Ga years old) Reports of fungi from the Phanerozoic Era are near Lake Superior in Ontario by Tyler and generally of those which were fossilised with Barghoorn (1954). Stromatolitic cherts near the base vascular plants. Most of these records are from the of the formation were found to contain abundant Carbonifero'us to Tertiary, with a considerable microfossils preserved as organic, haematitic, or increase during the latter period as angiosperms, pyritic structures. With the discovety of living serving as hosts of the paraSitic fungi, were abundant stromatolites in several coastal habitats notably in a then. One such example is that of a number of lagoon at Shark Bay on the western coast ofAustralia, ascomycetous leaf ectoparasites from the Middle the biological origin of fossil stromatolites, chiefly Eocene (45 Ma) of Tennessee (Dilcher, 1963, 1965). by activities of blue·green algae and bacteria, seems ApprOXimately 500 species of fossil fungi to have been confirmed. The age of the sedimentary belonging to a broad range of taxonomic categories deposits has, however, been doubted as it can be have been reported, many of them prior to 1900. determined on the basis of the nearest underlying Most are a result of chance discoveries and no and overlying datable rock unitS and the radioactive systematic treatment of the data has been assembled isotope method has an accuracy of plus or minus 5 (Tiffney & Barghoorn, 1974). The known record of per cent (Schopf, 1978). fossil fungi is of little value for tracing the It is generally believed that procaryotic micro­ evolutionary history of fungi through the geologic organisms preceded the eucaryotic. The time or during the modern period. Some of the endosymbiotic hypothesis proposes that the reasons for this are: eucaryotes arose polyphyletically from the primitive 1. Reports of fossil fungi are influenced by the photosynthetic procaryotes (Edwards, 1976). But preference of individual investigators and their how and when this change over from procaryotic to interest in a particular geological stratum or the eucaryotic life occurred is a mystery. The distinction type of fossils (micro- or macro-scopic). Just as between Precambrian procaryotes and eucaryotes is in the case of reports of modern fungi commonly based on a statistical study of the sizes of (Mehrotra, 1977) such reports fail to reflect known Precambrian microfossils and comparison upon the geographical distribution of fossil with modern examples. The evolution of eucaryotes fungi. For example, "Sclerotinites" reported brought not only a change in average size but also from Palaeozoic and Tertiary, employing thin significant alterations in the internal organisation of and polished sectioning techniques, are a the cells, including the change from membraneless result of the special interest of petrologists in nuclei and organelles in procaryotes to membrane coal depOSits. bounded nuclei and organelles in eucaryotes. The 2. Identification of fossil fungi is commonly two groups also differ in physiology. While based on a vague resemblance (Tiffney & procaryotes are chiefly responsible for fermentation Barghoorn, 1974), such as of external and produce unsaturated fatty acids, the eucaryotes appearance of minute fruiting bodies or hyphal respire and form saturated and/or polyunsaturated strands. MEHROTRA-EVOLUTIONARY STATUS OF FUNGI 25 A few errors have been subsequently indicate the evolutionary trends of the fungi, rectified. For example, the reports of fossil different phylogeneticists have laid partly or algae by Duncan (1876) are now classified as completely differing criteria for their evolutionary Phycomycetes, and some specimens identified hypotheses. General principles of evolVtion and as Hemisphaeriales (Ascomycetes) are now their application to phylogenetic theories of fungi placed in the Chytridiales (Phycomycetes) by have been discussed in detail by Savile (1968). Bradley (1967). Raper (1968) commented on the role of genetics in 3. Records depend on the material of which the the evolutionary history of fungi. Some of the more fungus is constituted (size and composition of Significant criteria which have influenced students of the organism; Tiffney & Barghoorn, 1974); and phylogeny are briefly discussed here with the hope the availability of the stratum in which it could that this discussion will be of help to those be preserved. For example, the paraSitic fungi, interested in evaluating existing phylogenetic obligate ones in particular, can be related to theories. the presence of particular group of host plants. 1. Morphology-The foremost c ri teri on Savile (1976), therefore, had pertinently supporting any hypothesis of fungal evolution is pointed out that in the case of obligate morphology. But too much emphasis on form has parasites both hosts and parasites reflect each resulted in relating fundamentally unrelated groups other's age. or species of fungi in which similarity in structure is largely due to similar habitat and parallel evolution. EVOLUTIONARY STATUS OF Simple morphology and life cycles are generally MODERN FUNGI considered more primitive than complex ones but they can be regressive forms of the convergent or The concept of evolution has ever been of great more highly evolved groups. Attempts, therefore, help in not only bringing order to the study of any have been made to de·emphasize morphology and to biological group but also in providing a broader stress other criteria.
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