FUNGI and algae first teamed up to form lichen 600 million years ago, according to newly discovered fossils from China. This makes them slightly older than the first fossils of complex soft-bodied animals, and far older than land plants.
Lichens are the product of a symbiotic relationship between algae, which produce food, and fungi, which provide moisture, nutrients and a protective framework. The new fossils come from south China, and were laid down in shallow seawater (Science, vol 308, p 1017).
Because lichens evolved many times, it is impossible to say whether the fossils are the ancestors of modern lichen, says team leader Shuhai Xiao of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg.
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