In a groundbreaking discovery, Portuguese researchers have unearthed 300-million-year-old fossils of giant fungi in Anadia, Aveiro district.
These fossils, found in the geological formations of the Bussaco Basin, represent a previously unknown giant form of mycorrhizal fungal spores.
The newly discovered species, named 'Megaglomerospora lealiae,' is the largest spore documented for the Glomeromycota division of the Fungi kingdom.
Despite their small size, about 1.6 millimeters in diameter, these fossils were giants among Glomeromycetes spores.
This discovery marks the first record of an endomycorrhizal fungus found in the Carboniferous period on the Iberian Peninsula.
The research, published in the international journal Geobios, highlights the crucial role symbiotic associations played in structuring terrestrial ecosystems 300 million years ago.
The study provides important insights into the interactions between fungi and plants, deepening our understanding of the ecological processes that shaped Paleozoic flora.
The new species is dedicated to Fernanda Leal, a doctoral student who contributed to the classification of the fossil fungi.