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Gurung K, Field KJ, Batterman SA, Poulton SW, Mills BJW. Geographic range of plants drives long-term climate change. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1805. [PMID: 38418475 PMCID: PMC10901853 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46105-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Long computation times in vegetation and climate models hamper our ability to evaluate the potentially powerful role of plants on weathering and carbon sequestration over the Phanerozoic Eon. Simulated vegetation over deep time is often homogenous, and disregards the spatial distribution of plants and the impact of local climatic variables on plant function. Here we couple a fast vegetation model (FLORA) to a spatially-resolved long-term climate-biogeochemical model (SCION), to assess links between plant geographical range, the long-term carbon cycle and climate. Model results show lower rates of carbon fixation and up to double the previously predicted atmospheric CO2 concentration due to a limited plant geographical range over the arid Pangea supercontinent. The Mesozoic dispersion of the continents increases modelled plant geographical range from 65% to > 90%, amplifying global CO2 removal, consistent with geological data. We demonstrate that plant geographical range likely exerted a major, under-explored control on long-term climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khushboo Gurung
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - Katie J Field
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Sarah A Batterman
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama, USA
| | - Simon W Poulton
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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2
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Hu R, Li X, Hu Y, Zhang R, Lv Q, Zhang M, Sheng X, Zhao F, Chen Z, Ding Y, Yuan H, Wu X, Xing S, Yan X, Bao F, Wan P, Xiao L, Wang X, Xiao W, Decker EL, van Gessel N, Renault H, Wiedemann G, Horst NA, Haas FB, Wilhelmsson PKI, Ullrich KK, Neumann E, Lv B, Liang C, Du H, Lu H, Gao Q, Cheng Z, You H, Xin P, Chu J, Huang CH, Liu Y, Dong S, Zhang L, Chen F, Deng L, Duan F, Zhao W, Li K, Li Z, Li X, Cui H, Zhang YE, Ma C, Zhu R, Jia Y, Wang M, Hasebe M, Fu J, Goffinet B, Ma H, Rensing SA, Reski R, He Y. Adaptive evolution of the enigmatic Takakia now facing climate change in Tibet. Cell 2023; 186:3558-3576.e17. [PMID: 37562403 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
The most extreme environments are the most vulnerable to transformation under a rapidly changing climate. These ecosystems harbor some of the most specialized species, which will likely suffer the highest extinction rates. We document the steepest temperature increase (2010-2021) on record at altitudes of above 4,000 m, triggering a decline of the relictual and highly adapted moss Takakia lepidozioides. Its de-novo-sequenced genome with 27,467 protein-coding genes includes distinct adaptations to abiotic stresses and comprises the largest number of fast-evolving genes under positive selection. The uplift of the study site in the last 65 million years has resulted in life-threatening UV-B radiation and drastically reduced temperatures, and we detected several of the molecular adaptations of Takakia to these environmental changes. Surprisingly, specific morphological features likely occurred earlier than 165 mya in much warmer environments. Following nearly 400 million years of evolution and resilience, this species is now facing extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyang Hu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China; State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xuedong Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yong Hu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Runjie Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Qiang Lv
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Xianyong Sheng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Feng Zhao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Zhijia Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yuhan Ding
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Huan Yuan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Xiaofeng Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Shuang Xing
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Xiaoyu Yan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Fang Bao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Ping Wan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Lihong Xiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Wei Xiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China
| | - Eva L Decker
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nico van Gessel
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Hugues Renault
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes (IBMP), CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Gertrud Wiedemann
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Inselspital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nelly A Horst
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; MetaSystems Hard & Software GmbH, 68804 Altlussheim, Germany
| | - Fabian B Haas
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Kristian K Ullrich
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Plön, Germany
| | - Eva Neumann
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Bin Lv
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Chengzhi Liang
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Huilong Du
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Sciences and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei 071002, China
| | - Hongwei Lu
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Qiang Gao
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Genomics and Genetic Engineering Laboratory of Ornamental Plants, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Zhukuan Cheng
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Hanli You
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Peiyong Xin
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jinfang Chu
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chien-Hsun Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010031, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Key Laboratory of Southern Subtropical Plant Diversity, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, Shenzhen & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518004, China; State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518085, China
| | - Shanshan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Southern Subtropical Plant Diversity, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, Shenzhen & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518004, China
| | - Liangsheng Zhang
- Genomics and Genetic Engineering Laboratory of Ornamental Plants, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Fei Chen
- Sanya Nanfan Research Institute from Hainan University, Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, Sanya, Hainan 572025, China
| | - Lei Deng
- College of Resource Environment and Tourism, CNU, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Fuzhou Duan
- College of Resource Environment and Tourism, CNU, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Wenji Zhao
- College of Resource Environment and Tourism, CNU, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Kai Li
- Department of Chemistry, CNU, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Zhongfeng Li
- Department of Chemistry, CNU, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Xingru Li
- Department of Chemistry, CNU, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Hengjian Cui
- School of Mathematical Sciences, CNU, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yong E Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Chuan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Ruiliang Zhu
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Yu Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Meizhi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Mitsuyasu Hasebe
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate School for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Jinzhong Fu
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Bernard Goffinet
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Hong Ma
- Department of Biology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Stefan A Rensing
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany; Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Reski
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Yikun He
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing 100048, China.
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Yuan W, Liu M, Chen D, Xing YW, Spicer RA, Chen J, Them TR, Wang X, Li S, Guo C, Zhang G, Zhang L, Zhang H, Feng X. Mercury isotopes show vascular plants had colonized land extensively by the early Silurian. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade9510. [PMID: 37115923 PMCID: PMC10146902 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade9510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The colonization and expansion of plants on land is considered one of the most profound ecological revolutions, yet the precise timing remains controversial. Because land vegetation can enhance weathering intensity and affect terrigenous input to the ocean, changes in terrestrial plant biomass with distinct negative Δ199Hg and Δ200Hg signatures may overwrite the positive Hg isotope signatures commonly found in marine sediments. By investigating secular Hg isotopic variations in the Paleozoic marine sediments from South China and peripheral paleocontinents, we highlight distinct negative excursions in both Δ199Hg and Δ200Hg at Stage level starting in the early Silurian and again in the Carboniferous. These geochemical signatures were driven by increased terrestrial contribution of Hg due to the rapid expansion of vascular plants. These excursions broadly coincide with rising atmospheric oxygen concentrations and global cooling. Therefore, vascular plants were widely distributed on land during the Ordovician-Silurian transition (~444 million years), long before the earliest reported vascular plant fossil, Cooksonia (~430 million years).
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Mu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Daizhao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Corresponding author. (X.F.); (D.C.)
| | - Yao-Wu Xing
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Robert A. Spicer
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jitao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Nanjing College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 211135, China
| | - Theodore R. Them
- Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424, USA
| | - Xun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Shizhen Li
- Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Chuan Guo
- College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Key Laboratory of Karst Georesources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Gongjing Zhang
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Liyu Zhang
- Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Wuxi 214126, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Xinbin Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Corresponding author. (X.F.); (D.C.)
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4
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Wang Z, Li D, Sun X, Chen H, Xiao K, Wang K. Effects of Lithology on Asymbiotic N2 Fixation in Subtropical Secondary Forests, Southwest China. Ecosystems 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-023-00824-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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5
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Low atmospheric CO 2 levels before the rise of forested ecosystems. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7616. [PMID: 36539413 PMCID: PMC9768202 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35085-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of forests on Earth (~385 million years ago, Ma)1 has been linked to an order-of-magnitude decline in atmospheric CO2 levels and global climatic cooling by altering continental weathering processes, but observational constraints on atmospheric CO2 before the rise of forests carry large, often unbound, uncertainties. Here, we calibrate a mechanistic model for gas exchange in modern lycophytes and constrain atmospheric CO2 levels 410-380 Ma from related fossilized plants with bound uncertainties of approximately ±100 ppm (1 sd). We find that the atmosphere contained ~525-715 ppm CO2 before continents were afforested, and that Earth was partially glaciated according to a palaeoclimate model. A process-driven biogeochemical model (COPSE) shows the appearance of trees with deep roots did not dramatically enhance atmospheric CO2 removal. Rather, shallow-rooted vascular ecosystems could have simultaneously caused abrupt atmospheric oxygenation and climatic cooling long before the rise of forests, although earlier CO2 levels are still unknown.
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Climate windows of opportunity for plant expansion during the Phanerozoic. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4530. [PMID: 35927259 PMCID: PMC9352767 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32077-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Earth's long-term climate may have profoundly influenced plant evolution. Local climatic factors, including water availability, light, and temperature, play a key role in plant physiology and growth, and have fluctuated substantially over geological time. However, the impact of these key climate variables on global plant biomass across the Phanerozoic has not yet been established. Linking climate and dynamic vegetation modelling, we identify two key 'windows of opportunity' during the Ordovician and Jurassic-Paleogene capable of supporting dramatic expansions of potential plant biomass. These conditions are driven by continental dispersion, paleolatitude of continental area and a lack of glaciation, allowing for an intense hydrological cycle and greater water availability. These windows coincide with the initial expansion of land plants and the later angiosperm radiation. Our findings suggest that the timing and expansion of habitable space for plants played an important role in plant evolution and diversification.
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Pohl A, Wong Hearing T, Franc A, Sepulchre P, Scotese CR. Dataset of Phanerozoic continental climate and Köppen–Geiger climate classes. Data Brief 2022; 43:108424. [PMID: 35845094 PMCID: PMC9278035 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This article describes a suite of global climate model output files that provide continental climatic conditions (monthly temperatures, precipitation, evaporation, precipitation minus evaporation balance, runoff) together with the calculated Köppen–Geiger climate classes and topography, for 28 evenly spaced time slices through the Phanerozoic (Cambrian to Quaternary, 540 Ma to 0 Ma). Climatic variables were simulated with the Fast Ocean Atmosphere Model (FOAM), using a recent set of open-access continental reconstructions with paleotopography and recent atmospheric CO2 and solar luminosity estimates. FOAM is a general circulation model frequently used in paleoclimate studies, especially in the Palaeozoic. Köppen–Geiger climate classes were calculated based on simulated temperature and precipitation fields using Wong Hearing et al.’s [1] implementation of Peel et al.’s [2] updated classification. This dataset provides a unique window onto changing continental climate throughout the Phanerozoic that accounts for the simultaneous evolution of paleogeography (continental configuration and topography), atmospheric composition and greenhouse gas forcing, and solar luminosity.
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Perera-Castro AV, González-Rodríguez ÁM, Fernández-Marín B. When time is not of the essence: constraints to the carbon balance of bryophytes. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:4562-4575. [PMID: 35298628 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The data available so far indicate that the photosynthetic and relative growth rates of bryophytes are 10% of those reported for tracheophytes. By examining the existing literature and reanalysing data published in over 100 studies, this review examines the ecophysiological, biochemical, and structural reasons behind this phenomenon. The limiting Rubisco content and surface for gas exchange are the internal factors that can explain the low photosynthetic and growth rates of bryophytes. The role of the thicker cell walls of bryophytes in limiting CO2 diffusion is unclear, due to the current uncertainties regarding their porosity and permeability to CO2. From this review, it is also evident that, despite bryophytes having low photosynthetic rates, their positive carbon balance is tightly related to their capacity to deal with extreme conditions. Contributing factors include their capacity to deal with large daily temperature oscillations, and their capacity to delay the cessation of photosynthesis under water deficit (or to tolerate desiccation in extreme situations). Although further studies on bryophytes are needed before more solid conclusions can be drawn, it seems that their success relies on their remarkable tolerance to a highly variable environment, possibly at the expense of their maximum photosynthetic rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia V Perera-Castro
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Águeda M González-Rodríguez
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Beatriz Fernández-Marín
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
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Antell GT, Saupe EE. Bottom-up controls, ecological revolutions and diversification in the oceans through time. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R1237-R1251. [PMID: 34637737 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Animals originated in the oceans and evolved there for hundreds of millions of years before adapting to terrestrial environments. Today, oceans cover more than two-thirds of Earth and generate as much primary production as land. The path from the first macrobiota to modern marine biodiversity involved parallel increases in terrestrial nutrient input, marine primary production, species' abundance, metabolic rates, ecotypic diversity and taxonomic diversity. Bottom-up theories of ecosystem cascades arrange these changes in a causal sequence. At the base of marine food webs, nutrient fluxes and atmosphere-ocean chemistry interact with phytoplankton to regulate production. First-order consumers (e.g., zooplankton) might propagate changes in quantity and quality of phytoplankton to changes in abundance and diversity of larger predators (e.g., nekton). However, many uncertainties remain about the mechanisms and effect size of bottom-up control, particularly in oceans across the entire history of animal life. Here, we review modern and fossil evidence for hypothesized bottom-up pathways, and we assess the ramifications of these processes for four key intervals in marine ecosystems: the Ediacaran-Cambrian (635-485 million years ago), the Ordovician (485-444 million years ago), the Devonian (419-359 million years ago) and the Mesozoic (252-66 million years ago). We advocate for a clear articulation of bottom-up hypotheses to better understand causal relationships and proposed effects, combined with additional ecological experiments, paleontological documentation, isotope geochemistry and geophysical reconstructions. How small-scale ecological change transitions into large-scale evolutionary change remains an outstanding question for empirical and theoretical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gawain T Antell
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK.
| | - Erin E Saupe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
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Wang Q, Cheng C, Agathokleous E, Liu Y, Li X, Sheng X. Enhanced diversity and rock-weathering potential of bacterial communities inhabiting potash trachyte surface beneath mosses and lichens - A case study in Nanjing, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 785:147357. [PMID: 33957590 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mosses and lichens have been shown to play an important role in enhancing global chemical weathering of the surface rock. However, there are no studies concerning the effects of mosses and lichens on the microbial communities inhabiting rock surfaces. In this study, culture-dependent and culture-independent analyses were employed to compare the diversity, composition, and rock-weathering activity of bacterial communities inhabiting potash trachyte surfaces covered by mosses (MR) and lichens (LR) with those inhabiting surrounding bare rock surfaces (BR). Analyses of 16S rRNA gene Miseq sequencing revealed that the order of alpha (α) diversity indices, in terms of the number of unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and Faith's index of phylogenetic diversity, was MR > LR > BR. Moreover, α-diveristy indices were positively correlated with the content of available phosphorus (AP) in rock samples (r = 0.87-0.92), and this explained 70% of the variation in bacterial community structure. The culture-dependent analyses revealed that 100% of the culturable bacterial strains could enhance potash trachyte weathering, and the order of rock-weathering acitivity of bacterial strains was MR > LR > BR. Acidolysis was found to be the major mechanism involved in the bacteria-mediated weathering of potash trachyte. Moreover, bacterial strians related to the genera Dyella and Ralstonia showed the highest rock-weatheirng activity, and both Dyella and Ralstonia were enriched in MR. The results of this study enhance our understanding of the roles of bacteria facilitated by mosses and lichens in rock weathering, element cycling, and soil formation, and provide new insights into the interaction between non-vascular plants and the bacteria on rock surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agrometeorology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Ecology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China.
| | - Cheng Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Agrometeorology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Ecology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China
| | - Evgenios Agathokleous
- Key Laboratory of Agrometeorology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Ecology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Agrometeorology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Ecology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China
| | - Xuewei Li
- Key Laboratory of Agrometeorology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Ecology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China
| | - Xiafang Sheng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
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11
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Kriegshauser L, Knosp S, Grienenberger E, Tatsumi K, Gütle DD, Sørensen I, Herrgott L, Zumsteg J, Rose JKC, Reski R, Werck-Reichhart D, Renault H. Function of the HYDROXYCINNAMOYL-CoA:SHIKIMATE HYDROXYCINNAMOYL TRANSFERASE is evolutionarily conserved in embryophytes. THE PLANT CELL 2021; 33:1472-1491. [PMID: 33638637 PMCID: PMC8254490 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koab044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The plant phenylpropanoid pathway generates a major class of specialized metabolites and precursors of essential extracellular polymers that initially appeared upon plant terrestrialization. Despite its evolutionary significance, little is known about the complexity and function of this major metabolic pathway in extant bryophytes, which represent the non-vascular stage of embryophyte evolution. Here, we report that the HYDROXYCINNAMOYL-CoA:SHIKIMATE HYDROXYCINNAMOYL TRANSFERASE (HCT) gene, which plays a critical function in the phenylpropanoid pathway during seed plant development, is functionally conserved in Physcomitrium patens (Physcomitrella), in the moss lineage of bryophytes. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that bona fide HCT function emerged in the progenitor of embryophytes. In vitro enzyme assays, moss phenolic pathway reconstitution in yeast and in planta gene inactivation coupled to targeted metabolic profiling, collectively indicate that P. patens HCT (PpHCT), similar to tracheophyte HCT orthologs, uses shikimate as a native acyl acceptor to produce a p-coumaroyl-5-O-shikimate intermediate. Phenotypic and metabolic analyses of loss-of-function mutants show that PpHCT is necessary for the production of caffeate derivatives, including previously reported caffeoyl-threonate esters, and for the formation of an intact cuticle. Deep conservation of HCT function in embryophytes is further suggested by the ability of HCT genes from P. patens and the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha to complement an Arabidopsis thaliana CRISPR/Cas9 hct mutant, and by the presence of phenolic esters of shikimate in representative species of the three bryophyte lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Kriegshauser
- Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Samuel Knosp
- Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Etienne Grienenberger
- Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Kanade Tatsumi
- Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Desirée D Gütle
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Iben Sørensen
- Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Laurence Herrgott
- Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Julie Zumsteg
- Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Jocelyn K C Rose
- Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Ralf Reski
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- CIBSS—Centre for Integrative Biological Signaling Studies, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Danièle Werck-Reichhart
- Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Hugues Renault
- Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
- Author for correspondence:
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12
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Nelsen MP, Lücking R, Boyce CK, Lumbsch HT, Ree RH. No support for the emergence of lichens prior to the evolution of vascular plants. GEOBIOLOGY 2020; 18:3-13. [PMID: 31729136 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The early-successional status of lichens in modern terrestrial ecosystems, together with the role lichen-mediated weathering plays in the carbon cycle, have contributed to the long and widely held assumption that lichens occupied early terrestrial ecosystems prior to the evolution of vascular plants and drove global change during this time. Their poor preservation potential and the classification of ambiguous fossils as lichens or other fungal-algal associations have further reinforced this view. As unambiguous fossil data are lacking to demonstrate the presence of lichens prior to vascular plants, we utilize an alternate approach to assess their historic presence in early terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we analyze new time-calibrated phylogenies of ascomycete fungi and chlorophytan algae, that intensively sample lineages with lichen symbionts. Age estimates for several interacting clades show broad congruence and demonstrate that fungal origins of lichenization postdate the earliest tracheophytes. Coupled with the absence of unambiguous fossil data, our work finds no support for lichens having mediated global change during the Neoproterozoic-early Paleozoic prior to vascular plants. We conclude by discussing our findings in the context of Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic terrestrial ecosystem evolution and the paleoecological context in which vascular plants evolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P Nelsen
- Department of Science and Education, The Field Museum, Integrative Research Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Robert Lücking
- Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - C Kevin Boyce
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - H Thorsten Lumbsch
- Department of Science and Education, The Field Museum, Integrative Research Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Richard H Ree
- Department of Science and Education, The Field Museum, Integrative Research Center, Chicago, IL, USA
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13
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Villa F, Cappitelli F. The Ecology of Subaerial Biofilms in Dry and Inhospitable Terrestrial Environments. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7100380. [PMID: 31547498 PMCID: PMC6843906 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7100380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological relationship between minerals and microorganisms arguably represents one of the most important associations in dry terrestrial environments, since it strongly influences major biochemical cycles and regulates the productivity and stability of the Earth’s food webs. Despite being inhospitable ecosystems, mineral substrata exposed to air harbor form complex and self-sustaining communities called subaerial biofilms (SABs). Using life on air-exposed minerals as a model and taking inspiration from the mechanisms of some microorganisms that have adapted to inhospitable conditions, we illustrate the ecology of SABs inhabiting natural and built environments. Finally, we advocate the need for the convergence between the experimental and theoretical approaches that might be used to characterize and simulate the development of SABs on mineral substrates and SABs’ broader impacts on the dry terrestrial environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Villa
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy.
| | - Francesca Cappitelli
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy.
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14
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Strullu-Derrien C, Selosse MA, Kenrick P, Martin FM. The origin and evolution of mycorrhizal symbioses: from palaeomycology to phylogenomics. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 220:1012-1030. [PMID: 29573278 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Contents Summary 1012 I. Introduction 1013 II. The mycorrhizal symbiosis at the dawn and rise of the land flora 1014 III. From early land plants to early trees: the origin of roots and true mycorrhizas 1016 IV. The diversification of the AM symbiosis 1019 V. The ECM symbiosis 1021 VI. The recently evolved ericoid and orchid mycorrhizas 1023 VII. Limits of paleontological vs genetic approaches and perspectives 1023 Acknowledgements 1025 References 1025 SUMMARY: The ability of fungi to form mycorrhizas with plants is one of the most remarkable and enduring adaptations to life on land. The occurrence of mycorrhizas is now well established in c. 85% of extant plants, yet the geological record of these associations is sparse. Fossils preserved under exceptional conditions provide tantalizing glimpses into the evolutionary history of mycorrhizas, showing the extent of their occurrence and aspects of their evolution in extinct plants. The fossil record has important roles to play in establishing a chronology of when key fungal associations evolved and in understanding their importance in ecosystems through time. Together with calibrated phylogenetic trees, these approaches extend our understanding of when and how groups evolved in the context of major environmental change on a global scale. Phylogenomics furthers this understanding into the evolution of different types of mycorrhizal associations, and genomic studies of both plants and fungi are shedding light on how the complex set of symbiotic traits evolved. Here we present a review of the main phases of the evolution of mycorrhizal interactions from palaeontological, phylogenetic and genomic perspectives, with the aim of highlighting the potential of fossil material and a geological perspective in a cross-disciplinary approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Strullu-Derrien
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
- Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, Laboratoire d'excellence ARBRE, Centre INRA-Lorraine, Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA), Unité Mixte de Recherche 1136 INRA-Université de Lorraine, 54280, Champenoux, France
| | - Marc-André Selosse
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, 57 rue Cuvier, CP39, 75005, Paris, France
- Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Paul Kenrick
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Francis M Martin
- Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, Laboratoire d'excellence ARBRE, Centre INRA-Lorraine, Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA), Unité Mixte de Recherche 1136 INRA-Université de Lorraine, 54280, Champenoux, France
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15
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Abstract
500Ma ago the terrestrial habitat was a barren, unwelcoming place for species other than, for example, bacteria or fungi. Most probably, filamentous freshwater algae adapted to aerial conditions and eventually conquered land. Adaptation to a severely different habitat apparently included sturdy cell walls enabling an erect body plan as well as protection against abiotic stresses such as ultraviolet radiation, drought and varying temperature. To thrive on land, plants probably required more elaborate signaling pathways to react to diverse environmental conditions, and phytohormones to control developmental programs. Many such plant-typical features have been studied in flowering plants, but their evolutionary origins were long clouded. With the sequencing of a moss genome a decade ago, inference of ancestral land plant states using comparative genomics, phylogenomics and evolutionary developmental approaches began in earnest. In the past few years, the ever increasing availability of genomic and transcriptomic data of organisms representing the earliest common ancestors of the plant tree of life has much informed our understanding of the conquest of land by plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan A Rensing
- Plant Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
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16
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McMahon WJ, Davies NS. Evolution of alluvial mudrock forced by early land plants. Science 2018; 359:1022-1024. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aan4660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- William J. McMahon
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Neil S. Davies
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
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17
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Mills BJW, Batterman SA, Field KJ. Nutrient acquisition by symbiotic fungi governs Palaeozoic climate transition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:20160503. [PMID: 29254967 PMCID: PMC5745338 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fossil evidence from the Rhynie chert indicates that early land plants, which evolved in a high-CO2 atmosphere during the Palaeozoic Era, hosted diverse fungal symbionts. It is hypothesized that the rise of early non-vascular land plants, and the later evolution of roots and vasculature, drove the long-term shift towards a high-oxygen, low CO2 climate that eventually permitted the evolution of mammals and, ultimately, humans. However, very little is known about the productivity of the early terrestrial biosphere, which depended on the acquisition of the limiting nutrient phosphorus via fungal symbiosis. Recent laboratory experiments have shown that plant-fungal symbiotic function is specific to fungal identity, with carbon-for-phosphorus exchange being either enhanced or suppressed under superambient CO2 By incorporating these experimental findings into a biogeochemical model, we show that the differences in these symbiotic nutrient acquisition strategies could greatly alter the plant-driven changes to climate, allowing drawdown of CO2 to glacial levels, and altering the nature of the rise of oxygen. We conclude that an accurate depiction of plant-fungal symbiotic systems, informed by high-CO2 experiments, is key to resolving the question of how the first terrestrial ecosystems altered our planet.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The Rhynie cherts: our earliest terrestrial ecosystem revisited'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah A Batterman
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - Katie J Field
- Centre for Plant Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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18
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Strullu-Derrien C, Spencer ART, Goral T, Dee J, Honegger R, Kenrick P, Longcore JE, Berbee ML. New insights into the evolutionary history of Fungi from a 407 Ma Blastocladiomycota fossil showing a complex hyphal thallus. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:20160502. [PMID: 29254966 PMCID: PMC5745337 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Zoosporic fungi are key saprotrophs and parasites of plants, animals and other fungi, playing important roles in ecosystems. They comprise at least three phyla, of which two, Chytridiomycota and Blastocladiomycota, developed a range of thallus morphologies including branching hyphae. Here we describe Retesporangicus lyonii gen. et sp. nov., an exceptionally well preserved fossil, which is the earliest known to produce multiple sporangia on an expanded hyphal network. To better characterize the fungus we develop a new method to render surfaces from image stacks generated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Here, the method helps to reveal thallus structure. Comparisons with cultures of living species and character state reconstructions analysed against recent molecular phylogenies of 24 modern zoosporic fungi indicate an affinity with Blastocladiomycota. We argue that in zoosporic fungi, kinds of filaments such as hyphae, rhizoids and rhizomycelium are developmentally similar structures adapted for varied functions including nutrient absorption and anchorage. The fossil is the earliest known type to develop hyphae which likely served as a saprotrophic adaptation to patchy resource availability. Evidence from the Rhynie chert provides our earliest insights into the biology of fungi and their roles in the environment. It demonstrates that zoosporic fungi were already diverse in 407 million-year-old terrestrial ecosystems.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The Rhynie cherts: our earliest terrestrial ecosystem revisited'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alan R T Spencer
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tomasz Goral
- Imaging and Analysis Centre, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Jaclyn Dee
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Rosmarie Honegger
- Institute of Plant and Microbiology, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Paul Kenrick
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Joyce E Longcore
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, 5722 Deering Hall, Orono, ME, USA
| | - Mary L Berbee
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
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19
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Berbee ML, James TY, Strullu-Derrien C. Early Diverging Fungi: Diversity and Impact at the Dawn of Terrestrial Life. Annu Rev Microbiol 2017; 71:41-60. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-030117-020324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mary L. Berbee
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Timothy Y. James
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
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20
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Lenton TM, Daines SJ. Matworld - the biogeochemical effects of early life on land. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 215:531-537. [PMID: 27883194 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Contents 531 I. 531 II. 532 III. 534 IV. 535 V. 535 VI. 535 Acknowledgements 536 References 536 SUMMARY: There is growing evidence that life has been on land for billions of years. Microbial mats fuelled by oxygenic photosynthesis were probably present in terrestrial habitats from c. 3.0 billion yr ago (Ga) onwards, creating localized 'oxygen oases' under a reducing atmosphere, which left a characteristic oxidative weathering signal. After the Great Oxidation c. 2.4 Ga, the now oxidizing atmosphere masked that redox signal, but ancient soils record the mobilization of phosphorus and other elements by organic acids in weathering profiles. Evidence for Neoproterozoic 'greening of the land' and intensification of weathering c. 0.85-0.54 Ga is currently equivocal. However, the mid-Palaeozoic c. 0.45-0.4 Ga shows global atmospheric changes consistent with increased terrestrial productivity and intensified weathering by the first land plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M Lenton
- Earth System Science Group, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QE, UK
| | - Stuart J Daines
- Earth System Science Group, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QE, UK
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21
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Rodríguez-Caballero E, Paul M, Tamm A, Caesar J, Büdel B, Escribano P, Hill J, Weber B. Biomass assessment of microbial surface communities by means of hyperspectral remote sensing data. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 586:1287-1297. [PMID: 28236481 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Dryland vegetation developed morphological and physiological strategies to cope with drought. However, as aridity increases, vascular plant coverage gets sparse and microbially-dominated surface communities (MSC), comprising cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and bryophytes together with heterotropic bacteria, archaea and fungi, gain relevance. Nevertheless, the relevance of MSC net primary productivity has only rarely been considered in ecosystem scale studies, and detailed information on their contribution to the total photosynthetic biomass reservoir is largely missing. In this study, we mapped the spatial distribution of two different MSC (biological soil crusts and quartz fields hosting hypolithic crusts) at two different sites within the South African Succulent Karoo (Soebatsfontein and Knersvlakte). Then we characterized both types of MSC in terms of chlorophyll content, and combining these data with the biocrust and quartz field maps, we estimated total biomass values of MSCs and their spatial patterns within the two different ecosystems. Our results revealed that MSC are important vegetation components of the South African Karoo biome, revealing clear differences between the two sites. At Soebatsfontein, MSC occurred as biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which covered about one third of the landscape reaching an overall biomass value of ~480gha-1 of chlorophyll a+b at the landscape scale. In the Knersvlakte, which is characterized by harsher environmental conditions (i.e. higher solar radiation and potential evapotranspiration), MSC occurred as biocrusts, but also formed hypolithic crusts growing on the lower soil-immersed parts of translucent quartz pebbles. Whereas chlorophyll concentrations of biocrusts and hypolithic crusts where insignificantly lower in the Knersvlakte, the overall MSC biomass reservoir was by far larger with ~780gha-1 of chlorophyll a+b. Thus, the complementary microbially-dominated surface communities promoted biomass formation within the environmentally harsh Knersvlakte ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero
- Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
| | - Max Paul
- Öko-Log Freilandforschung, Hauptstrasse 181, 67705 Trippstadt, Germany
| | - Alexandra Tamm
- Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jennifer Caesar
- Department of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, Neubrandenburg, Germany
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Plant Ecology and Systematics Department, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Paula Escribano
- CAESCG - Andalusian Center for the Assessment and Monitoring of Global Change, Almería, Spain
| | - Joachim Hill
- Environmental Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics Department, University of Trier, Trier, Germany
| | - Bettina Weber
- Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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22
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Plackett ARG, Coates JC. Life's a beach - the colonization of the terrestrial environment. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 212:831-835. [PMID: 27874985 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R G Plackett
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Juliet C Coates
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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23
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Abstract
The progressive oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere was pivotal to the evolution of life, but the puzzle of when and how atmospheric oxygen (O2) first approached modern levels (∼21%) remains unresolved. Redox proxy data indicate the deep oceans were oxygenated during 435-392 Ma, and the appearance of fossil charcoal indicates O2 >15-17% by 420-400 Ma. However, existing models have failed to predict oxygenation at this time. Here we show that the earliest plants, which colonized the land surface from ∼470 Ma onward, were responsible for this mid-Paleozoic oxygenation event, through greatly increasing global organic carbon burial-the net long-term source of O2 We use a trait-based ecophysiological model to predict that cryptogamic vegetation cover could have achieved ∼30% of today's global terrestrial net primary productivity by ∼445 Ma. Data from modern bryophytes suggests this plentiful early plant material had a much higher molar C:P ratio (∼2,000) than marine biomass (∼100), such that a given weathering flux of phosphorus could support more organic carbon burial. Furthermore, recent experiments suggest that early plants selectively increased the flux of phosphorus (relative to alkalinity) weathered from rocks. Combining these effects in a model of long-term biogeochemical cycling, we reproduce a sustained +2‰ increase in the carbonate carbon isotope (δ(13)C) record by ∼445 Ma, and predict a corresponding rise in O2 to present levels by 420-400 Ma, consistent with geochemical data. This oxygen rise represents a permanent shift in regulatory regime to one where fire-mediated negative feedbacks stabilize high O2 levels.
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