Prototaxites fossils are structurally and chemically distinct from extinct and extant Fungi

Science Advances 2026 Open access

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Authors: Corentin Loron, Laura Cooper, Sean McMahon, Seán F. Jordan, Andrei V. Gromov, Matthew Humpage, Niall Rodgers, Laetitia Pichevin, Hendrik Vondracek, Ruaridh Alexander, Edwin Rodriguez Dzul, Martin Brasier
+2 more Michael Krings, Alexander J. Hetherington
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aec6277
Cited by: 4
References: 89

Abstract

Prototaxites was the first giant organism to live on the terrestrial surface, represented by columnar fossils of up to eight meters from the Early Devonian. However, its systematic affinity has been debated for over 165 years. There are now two remaining viable hypotheses: Prototaxites was either a fungus, or a member of an entirely extinct lineage. Here, we investigate the affinity of Prototaxites by contrasting its organization and molecular composition with that of Fungi. We report that fossils of Prototaxites taiti from the 407-million-year-old Rhynie chert were chemically distinct from contemporaneous Fungi and structurally distinct from all known Fungi. This finding casts doubt upon the fungal affinity of Prototaxites , instead suggesting that this enigmatic organism is best assigned to an entirely extinct eukaryotic lineage.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils Protist diversity and phylogeny Plant Diversity and Evolution

Publication details

Journal / source
Science Advances
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Volume
12
Issue
4
Pages
eaec6277–eaec6277
Publication date
21 January 2026
Language
EN