Affinities and architecture of Devonian trunks of Prototaxites loganii

Devonian fossil logs of Prototaxites loganii have been considered kelp-like aquatic algae, rolled up carpets of liverworts, enormous saprophytic fungal fruiting bodies or giant lichens. Algae and rolled liverwort models cannot explain the proportions and branching described here of a complete fossil of Prototaxites loganii from the Middle Devonian (386 Ma) Bellvale Sandstone on Schunnemunk Mountain, eastern New York. The "Schunnemunk tree" was 8.83 m long and had six branches, each about 1 m long and 9 cm diam, on the upper 1.2 m of the main axis. The coalified outermost layer of the Schunnemunk trunk and branches have isotopic compositions (δ(13)CPDB) of -25.03 ± 0.13‰ and -26.17 ± 0.69‰, respectively. The outermost part of the trunk has poorly preserved invaginations above cortical nests of coccoid cells embraced by much-branched tubular cells. This histology is unlike algae, liverworts or vascular plants and most like lichen with coccoid chlorophyte phycobionts. Prototaxites has been placed within Basidiomycota but lacks clear dikaryan features. Prototaxites and its extinct order Nematophytales may belong within Mucoromycotina or Glomeromycota.

The relative ability of fungi from Sphagnum fuscum to decompose selected carbon substrates

Nine species from a suite of 55 microfungi isolated from living and decomposing Sphagnum fuscum were selected for studies of in vitro decomposition of tannic acid, cellulose, and starch. In vitro decomposition of S. fuscum plants and spruce wood chips was also examined. Oidiodendron maius and Oidiodendron scytaloides degraded tannic acid, giving a positive reaction for polyphenol oxidases. Most taxa degraded cellulose and starch via the synthesis of cellulases and amylase, respectively. Mass losses of spruce wood chips generally exceeded those of S. fuscum. A basidiomycete, similar to Bjerkandera adusta, caused the greatest mass losses in spruce wood chips (10.2%), while O. scytaloides caused the smallest mass losses (3.4%) after 8 weeks. For S. fuscum, Sordaria fimicola caused the greatest (5.1%) and Mucor hiemalis the smallest (0.1%) mass losses after 8 weeks. Filamentous microfungi have considerable potential to decompose a variety of carbon substrates of bryophilous residues in peatlands.

Parasitism of algae by lignicolous Basidiomycota and other fungi

On water agar, 30 out of 81 species of fungi tested showed positive directional hyphal growth towards microcolonies of the green alga Protococcus sp. and produced coralloid masses of branched assimilative hyphae within the invaded algal colonies. Of 77 species of fungi tested against the blue-green alga Synechococcus elongatus, 33 exhibited this same phenomenon. Cell walls of S. elongatus were subsequently lysed while only cell death occurred in Protococcus sp., resulting in the release of the contents that were presumably absorbed by the coralloid hyphae. Branched hyphae from some invading fungi occasionally attached to larger individual cells of Protococcus sp., penetrated the walls, and absorbed the contents. Key words: algae, Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, cyanobacteria, Basidiomycota, wood decay, nitrogen requirements, Protococcus, Synechococcus.