CORRELATIVE STUDIES OF FUNGI AND PLANTS DURING THE PALEOZOIC TO MESOZOIC BASED ON FOSSIL EVIDENCE

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Many fossil fugimorphs were recovered from permineralized fossils from the Paleozoic of Queensland, Australia, and the Mesozoic of Hokkaido, Japan. Within calsified nodules from Hokkaido containing both plant and fungal remains, three new species of inperfect fungi, Archephoma cycadeoidellae, Menisicoideisporites cretacea, Palaeodiplodites yezoensis, each belonging to new genus, have been described in International Journal of Plant Research. Some other rather poorly preserved fungimorphs need further investigation. These results largely contribute to the study of fossil fungi that lacks cumulative evidence on the Mesozoic fungi.In the Permian permineralized peat from Australia were found remains of possible Oomycetes, Ascomycetes, and unidentifiable fungiform in either in plant tissues or in peat matrix. Because of unexpectedly poor preservatory condition of the material, details should be more carefully examined.Most of the Hokkaido fungi were probably saprophytic. However, some species of the extant genus Phoma, which can be closely compared to the fossil Archephoma, are pathogenic. Such pathogenic species have originated from saprophytic species in post-Cretaceous vegetation in which Angiosperms continued to diversify. Present progress in molecular phylogeny of fungi may strengthen the importance of fossil evidence as was revealed in this study for better understanding of fungal phylogeny.Lack of sufficient fossil information prevented from deeply discussing the ecological correlations with fungi and plants.