An arbuscular mycorrhiza from the 407-million-year-old Windyfield Chert identified through advanced fluorescence and Raman imaging.

ABSTRACT: Mycorrhizal associations between fungi and plants are a fundamental aspect of terrestrial ecosystems. Mycorrhizas occur in c. 85% of extant plants, yet their geological record remains sparse. Rare fossil evidence from early terrestrial environments offers crucial insights into these ancient symbioses, but visualizing fossil fungi at the microscale within plant tissues is challenging. Here, we combine confocal laser scanning microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to investigate a newly identified fungus and cellular structures of a 407-Myr-old plant from the Windyfield Chert, a stratigraphically distinct fossiliferous unit from Rhynie (Scotland). We also applied Raman spectroscopy to investigate the carbon framework of both fungal and plant tissues. This integrative

SUBMITTER: Strullu-Derrien C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12676081 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature