Significance of lignin and fungal markers in the Devonian (407 Ma) Rhynie Chert
The Rhynie Chert (Lower Devonian, Scotland) hosts a remarkably well-preserved early terrestrial ecosystem. Organisms including plants, fungi, arthropods, and bacteria were rapidly silicified due to inundation by silica-rich hot spring fluids. Exceptional molecular preservation has been noted by many...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2024
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL210100103 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96275 |
| _version_ | 1848766124845432832 |
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| author | Holman, Alex Poropat, Stephen Greenwood, Paul Bhandari, Rajendra Tripp, Madison Hopper, Peter Schimmelmann, A. Brosnan, Luke Rickard, William Wolkenstein, K. Grice, Kliti |
| author_facet | Holman, Alex Poropat, Stephen Greenwood, Paul Bhandari, Rajendra Tripp, Madison Hopper, Peter Schimmelmann, A. Brosnan, Luke Rickard, William Wolkenstein, K. Grice, Kliti |
| author_sort | Holman, Alex |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The Rhynie Chert (Lower Devonian, Scotland) hosts a remarkably well-preserved early terrestrial ecosystem. Organisms including plants, fungi, arthropods, and bacteria were rapidly silicified due to inundation by silica-rich hot spring fluids. Exceptional molecular preservation has been noted by many authors, including some of the oldest evidence of lignin in the fossil record. The evolution of lignin was a critical factor in the diversification of land plants, providing structural support and defense against herbivores and microbes. However, the timing of the evolution of lignin decay processes remains unclear. Studies placing this event near the end of the Carboniferous are contradicted by evidence for fungal pathogenesis in Devonian plant fossils, including from the Rhynie Chert. We conducted organic geochemical analyses on a Rhynie Chert sample, including hydropyrolysis (HyPy) of kerogen and high-resolution mass spectrometric mapping of a thin section, to elucidate the relationship between lignin and the potential fungal marker perylene. HyPy of kerogen showed an increase in relative abundance of perylene supporting its entrapment within the silicate matrix of the chert. Lignin monomers were isolated through an alkaline oxidation process, showing a distribution dominated by H-type monomers. G- and S-type monomers were also detected, preserved by rapid silicification. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons including perylene, a known marker for lignin-degrading fungi, were also concentrated in the kerogen and found to be localized within silicified plant fragments. Our results strongly link perylene in the Rhynie Chert to the activity of phytopathogenic fungi, demonstrating the importance of fungal degradation processes as far back as the Early Devonian. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:46:10Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-96275 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:46:10Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-962752024-12-18T02:17:50Z Significance of lignin and fungal markers in the Devonian (407 Ma) Rhynie Chert Holman, Alex Poropat, Stephen Greenwood, Paul Bhandari, Rajendra Tripp, Madison Hopper, Peter Schimmelmann, A. Brosnan, Luke Rickard, William Wolkenstein, K. Grice, Kliti Rhynie Chert exceptional preservation fungal degradation lignin organic geochemistry perylene Lignin Fossils Fungi Scotland Mass Spectrometry Fungi Lignin Fossils Scotland Mass Spectrometry The Rhynie Chert (Lower Devonian, Scotland) hosts a remarkably well-preserved early terrestrial ecosystem. Organisms including plants, fungi, arthropods, and bacteria were rapidly silicified due to inundation by silica-rich hot spring fluids. Exceptional molecular preservation has been noted by many authors, including some of the oldest evidence of lignin in the fossil record. The evolution of lignin was a critical factor in the diversification of land plants, providing structural support and defense against herbivores and microbes. However, the timing of the evolution of lignin decay processes remains unclear. Studies placing this event near the end of the Carboniferous are contradicted by evidence for fungal pathogenesis in Devonian plant fossils, including from the Rhynie Chert. We conducted organic geochemical analyses on a Rhynie Chert sample, including hydropyrolysis (HyPy) of kerogen and high-resolution mass spectrometric mapping of a thin section, to elucidate the relationship between lignin and the potential fungal marker perylene. HyPy of kerogen showed an increase in relative abundance of perylene supporting its entrapment within the silicate matrix of the chert. Lignin monomers were isolated through an alkaline oxidation process, showing a distribution dominated by H-type monomers. G- and S-type monomers were also detected, preserved by rapid silicification. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons including perylene, a known marker for lignin-degrading fungi, were also concentrated in the kerogen and found to be localized within silicified plant fragments. Our results strongly link perylene in the Rhynie Chert to the activity of phytopathogenic fungi, demonstrating the importance of fungal degradation processes as far back as the Early Devonian. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96275 10.1111/gbi.12616 eng http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL210100103 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Rhynie Chert exceptional preservation fungal degradation lignin organic geochemistry perylene Lignin Fossils Fungi Scotland Mass Spectrometry Fungi Lignin Fossils Scotland Mass Spectrometry Holman, Alex Poropat, Stephen Greenwood, Paul Bhandari, Rajendra Tripp, Madison Hopper, Peter Schimmelmann, A. Brosnan, Luke Rickard, William Wolkenstein, K. Grice, Kliti Significance of lignin and fungal markers in the Devonian (407 Ma) Rhynie Chert |
| title | Significance of lignin and fungal markers in the Devonian (407 Ma) Rhynie Chert |
| title_full | Significance of lignin and fungal markers in the Devonian (407 Ma) Rhynie Chert |
| title_fullStr | Significance of lignin and fungal markers in the Devonian (407 Ma) Rhynie Chert |
| title_full_unstemmed | Significance of lignin and fungal markers in the Devonian (407 Ma) Rhynie Chert |
| title_short | Significance of lignin and fungal markers in the Devonian (407 Ma) Rhynie Chert |
| title_sort | significance of lignin and fungal markers in the devonian (407 ma) rhynie chert |
| topic | Rhynie Chert exceptional preservation fungal degradation lignin organic geochemistry perylene Lignin Fossils Fungi Scotland Mass Spectrometry Fungi Lignin Fossils Scotland Mass Spectrometry |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL210100103 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96275 |