The decline of some and the sleeve of others

2009/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Eboluzioa

A fungus could explain the cause of mass extinction 250 million years ago

Some 250 million years ago many living beings died on Earth in one of the massive extinctions that have occurred on Earth. At that time, however, the genus Reduviasporonites spread all over the world. An international team of researchers, led by Imperial College London, has thoroughly studied the fungus to find out what could lead to the disappearance and proliferation of a large proportion of living beings on Earth.

It has been explained that a sudden environmental change may occur, as due to volcanic eruptions there was a significant spill of sulfur dioxide and other toxic gases. According to this hypothesis, these spills caused very acidic rains that destroyed most living beings. These conditions were suitable for Reduviasporonites fungi. In addition, researchers have found that mushroom food was dead trees. Therefore, for those who lived the extinction of others it was a real challenge.