390 Million Years Old Fossils Unveil Planet's Potential Earliest Forests

A recent report unraveled the planet's possible oldest forests after discovering fossils on the coast of Somerset and Devon in the United Kingdom. Researchers believe that the forest is likely 390 million years old.

Forests play an essential role in communities, wildlife, and ecosystems. Trees are crucial for the planet's animals and fight against climate change, at the same time offering healthy air for humans.

However, the world's forests are no stranger to decline due to massive deforestation, commercialization expansion, climate change, and extreme weather events. As a result, researchers find ways to protect trees from decline, particularly old forests.

Somerset Fossils and Planet's Oldest Forest

In the new report, researchers, from Cambridge University and Cardiff University, unearthed the Earth's possible oldest fossils of forests in Somerset in the UK. They found fossils, with trunks and small branches (cladoxylopsids).

The researchers explain that the forest fossils are about 390 million years old, making the said discovery older than the previous findings. The research report was published in the Journal of the Geological Society.

"These Calamophyton trees are the oldest fossil trees ever found in Britain and represent an as yet missing part of our vegetational history," Dr. Christopher Berry said, as quoted in a report.

The report also explained a pioneering tree known as cladoxylopsids, which was present in terrestrial ecosystems five million years ago. The recent findings can provide new insights into the tree evolution and mitigation efforts.

"The record of fossil forests, where tree bases are preserved where they were living, so far dates back to those discovered in New York State, at Cairo and Gilboa at about 385 million years," Dr. Berry said in the same report.

Targeting Seed Microbes To Protect Trees and Crops

According to a recent report, researchers looked into a crop known as Fonio, Digitaria exilis, that has shown resilience against drought and challenging soil conditions. The research findings were published in Microbiome.

Understanding crop resilience will help protect plants and crops against the impacts of rising temperatures and climate change. It will provide new insights into saving crops, seeds, and plants from decline.

The study observed the fonio seed microbiome, especially its adaptation to geo-climatic factors, genotypes, and soil compositions. Fonio is a millet crop that can be found in West Africa. The searchers explain that it can provide new insights into how the crop survives in poor soil conditions, helping cereals become resilient against changing climates.

Although folio has lower yields or harvests than other crops, it can offer new ideas to improve crop management and resilience. As a result, the researchers looked into the diversity of seed endophytes in 126 sequenced fonis.

In addition, the researchers studied the impact of environmental factors by collecting soil and meteorological data, helping to understand the composition of seed microbiomes. With the report, the researchers aim to advance seed microbiome engineering, protecting crops from extreme and changing weather conditions.

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