First record of fossil basidiomycete clamp connections in cordaitalean stems from the Asselian–Sakmarian (lower Permian) of Shanxi Province, North China

Depositional environments of the Carboniferous-Permian Taiyuan Formation (southern North China Block) as deduced from trace elements and from carbon and oxygen isotopes

“…Sev eral stud ies have been de voted to the de vel op ment in pres ent-day China of the Car bon if er ous and Perm ian de vel opment in the Palaeotethys Ocean (e.g., Lee and Lee, 2003;Lv and Chen, 2014), of ten with a fo cus on the palae on tol ogy (Tazawa, 2002), the prov e nance of the clastics (Li et al, 2010;Zhang et al, 2014) and the stra tig ra phy (Han, 1990;Shao et al, 2015) which is partly based on the pres ence of vol ca nic tuff layers (Schmitz et al, 2020), but the depositional en vi ron ments of the epicontinental sea in which the Taiyuan For ma tion ac cu mulated are still a mat ter of de bate (Guo and Liu, 2000;Li and Wang, 2006;Song et al, 2011), mainly be cause in ter pre ta tions of the fos sils, which may partly have been washed in, are mu tually in con sis tent (Song et al, 2015;Mao et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2019). The most im por tant groups of fos sils found in the Taiyuan For ma tion are plants, brachi o pods, gas tro pods, corals, cri noids, fusulinids and ostracods (Ge et al, 1985;Gao, 1988;Fan et al, 1999;Wan et al, 2017;Zhang, 2017). The or igin of the fos sils (more or less in place or washed in from far away) is also a point of dis cus sion, be cause some stud ies state that the lime stones were formed in an ox i diz ing en vi ron ment (e.g., Guo and Liu, 2000), whereas other stud ies men tion a reduc ing en vi ron ment (e.g., Song et al, 2011).…”

“…Fusulinids (Quasifusulina sp., Schwagerina sp., Rugosofuoulina sp., Triricites sp.) are the most abun dant fos sils, together with cor als (Cyathocarinia maoergouensis, Amplexocarinia sp., Neokoninckophyllum tortum, Caninophyllum dobro --lyubovae), cono donts (Streptognathodus elegantulus, Idiognathodus hebeiensis, S. elon gates, S. wabaunensis, S. fuchengensis), cri noids, ammonites and brachi o pod frag ments (Ge et al, 1985;Gao, 1988;Han, 1990;Fan et al, 1999;Wan et al, 2017;Zhang, 2017). The plant re mains (e.g., Neuropteris pseudovata, Annularia cf.…”

The Evolution and Fossil Record of Parasitism

“…Some investigators have suggested that wood-rotting fungi begin their life cycle as parasites, but then, once the host is dead, switch to saprotrophism (Garrett 1970;Lewis 1973). Evidence of decay attributable to fungi is frequently encountered in fossil wood; however, studies focusing on fossil fungal wood degradation are rare (see Harper et al 2016 for a review; Wan et al 2017), and documented examples of (partially) decayed fossil wood containing well preserved fungal remains are even rarer. Harper et al (2017a) report on decaying glossopterid wood from the Permian of Antarctica that contain fungal remains, symptoms of white pocket-rot decay, arthropod remains, and host-responses in the form of appositions (Fig.…”

An insect wing discovered in the Early Permian Taiyuan Formation (Shanxi Province, China)

“…The remains of a fossil insect wing were recovered recently in the middle part of the Taiyuan Formation. According to the study of the fossil plants, brachiopods, gastropods, corals, crinoids, fusulinids and ostracods (Ge et al, 1985;Gao, 1988;Fan et al, 1999;Wan et al, 2017;Zhang, 2017), the fossil horizon is of Asselian age (Early Permian). Herein we provide a description of the insect remains.…”