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BackgroundIn extant ecosystems, complex networks of ecological interactions between organisms can be readily studied. In contrast, understanding of such interactions in ecosystems of the geologic past is incomplete. Specifically, in past terrestrial ecosystems we know comparatively little about plant biotic interactions besides saprotrophy, herbivory, mycorrhizal associations, and oviposition. Due to taphonomic biases, epiphyte communities are particularly rare in the plant-fossil record, despite their prominence in modern ecosystems. Accordingly, little is known about how terrestrial epiphyte communities have changed across geologic time. Here, we describe a tinyin situfossil epiphyte community that sheds light on plant-animal and plant-plant interactions more than 50 million years ago. MethodsA single silicifiedTodea(Osmundaceae) rhizome from a new locality of the early Eocene (ca. 52 Ma) Tufolitas Laguna del Hunco (Patagonia, Argentina) was studied in serial thin sections using light microscopy. The community of organisms colonizing the tissues of the rhizome was characterized by identifying the organisms and mapping and quantifying their distribution. A 200 × 200 µm grid was superimposed onto the rhizome cross section, and the colonizers present at each node of the grid were tallied. ResultsPreservedin situ, this community offers a rare window onto aspects of ancient ecosystems usually lost to time and taphonomic processes. The community is surprisingly diverse and includes the first fossilized leafy liverworts in South America, also marking the only fossil record of leafy bryophyte epiphytes outside of amber deposits; as well as several types of fungal hyphae and spores; microsclerotia with possible affinities in several ascomycete families; and evidence for oribatid mites. DiscussionThe community associated with the Patagonian rhizome enriches our understanding of terrestrial epiphyte communities in the distant past and adds to a growing body of literature on osmundaceous rhizomes as important hosts for component communities in ancient ecosystems, just as they are today. Because osmundaceous rhizomes represent an ecological niche that has remained virtually unchanged over time and space and are abundant in the fossil record, they provide a paleoecological model system that could be used to explore epiphyte community structure through time.
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Sedimentary ancient DNA as a tool in paleoecology
Over a century of paleoecological investigations have been dedicated to studying the preserved hard parts of organisms contained in geological archives. Although the fossil record has revealed valuable insights into past ecosystems, the vast majority of past life has remained undetected due to a lack of preservation. Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA), DNA sourced from proximal organisms and preserved in coeval sediments, is upending that limitation in the Late Quaternary record. Owing to recent advances in sequencing technology and genetics techniques, one small sediment sample can yield a broad snapshot of a past ecosystem, indicating the presence of species from microbes to mammals.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1737712
- PAR ID:
- 10483514
- Publisher / Repository:
- Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
- Volume:
- 2
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2662-138X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 229 to 229
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Ancient DNA
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-021-00158-8
