The Carbonifungerous Period

This story is already on most of the science news sites I read so I thought about leaving it to them, but how could I deny you the pleasure of reading my words. If; however, you prefer reading a professional science organization cover it, here is the article from the National Science Foundation, who helped fund the study.

Study on Fungi Evolution Answers Questions About Ancient Coal Formation and May Help Advance Future Biofuels Production

We burn a lot of coal. Historically around half of all the electricity here in the good ol' US of A has been produced with coal power. That coal was deposited/produced during the carboniferous period. Get it CARBONiferous, so like, lots of coal.
 
Anyhow, a new study publish in the June 29 edition of Science is suggesting that maybe a big contributor to the end of coal deposits is the evolution of rot fungi. But Science isn't free so you only get a link to the entry summary.

Endless Rots Most Beautiful

The study is part of an ongoing endeavor to help categorize and decipher the early evolution of fungi. It is believed that one and a half million species of fungi exist on earth, but only about 5 percent of those have been categorized. To help identify the diversity of fungi and uncover a fuller picture of their roles in the overall ecosystem of our planet, studies like this are becoming more prominent.

The team of 71 scientists designed their specific study to " reconstruct the evolution of lignin decay mechanisms in fungi, analyze the distribution of enzymes that enable fungi to break down lignin, and better define the evolution of the gene families that encode those enzymes," lead scientist David Hibbett.

White rot fungus decay on wood

To do this, the team compared the genome of 31 fungi, focusing on the Agaricomycetes. In the process twelve new genomes were sequenced for the first time, specifically for this study. In addition they traced the mutation rates on the genes responsible for lignin decomposing enzymes in order to trace the evolution of the ability.

The team's study determined that the earliest multiple lignin-degrading enzyme producing Agaricomycetes lived roughly 300 million years ago. This is right around the end of the Carboniferous period, which suggests a possible connection between the ability of fungi do break down wood, and the decrease in deposits of non-decomposed woody debris into the ground. With trees getting decomposed instead being buried, the large deposits that eventually became coal ceased. And thus an entire geological time period was brought to a halt by the evolution of  a group of fungi.

Aside from the pure scientific discovery entailed, the scientists involved with this study hopes that by  sequencing these genomes, we may uncover new tools of industrial biology. "The 12 new genome sequences could serve as potential resources for industrial microbiologists aiming to develop new tools for producing biofuels, bioremediation or other products, perhaps by using recombinant DNA methods or by selecting new organisms for fermentation," again, lead scientist David Hibbett.

So if you think about it, this group of fungi may be responsible for causing fossil fuels to be in limited supply and simultaneously be a key to creating renewable biofuels.


Photo Credit: Robert Blanchette