白垩纪中期缅甸琥珀昆虫行为生态学研究进展

缅甸琥珀生物群产自距今约98.8Ma的白垩纪中期,该生物群是世界上物种多样性很高的琥珀生物群之一,为了解白垩纪中期生物多样性和古生态提供了重要窗口。文中以近年来缅甸琥珀地层学、琥珀生物学研究为依据,总结缅甸琥珀形成环境,并对缅甸琥珀揭示的昆虫与植物的协同演化、昆虫的捕食、社会性证据、寄生、求偶和结构色等方面的研究结果进行总结,以期较全面地综述缅甸琥珀的古环境和昆虫行为生态学特征。     

三维X射线显微技术与小型-微体化石高分辨率无损成像*

在古生物学研究中,以X射线断层成像(Computed Tomography)为代表的三维无损成像技术可以在不破坏化石标本的前提下,同时获得标本外观形态和内部结构的信息,相比传统的可见光成像手段有着明显优势。为推动化石三维无损成像技术在国内古生物学领域的发展,本文系统介绍一种新型显微CT技术——三维X射线显微术(Three-Dimensional X-ray Microscopy)。与基于几何放大和吸收衬度成像的传统显微CT技术相比,该技术有若干优势:(1)将同步辐射X射线显微断层成像的光学成像系统引入基于实验室X射线源的显微CT系统中,在几何放大的基础上增加了光学放大,优化了传统显微CT的系统架构,弥补了传统显微CT单纯依靠几何放大的不足,提高了空间分辨率;(2)采用可移动的X射线源和优化的光学成像系统,实现了低能X射线相位衬度成像,可以三维重构传统显微CT技术无法有效探测的、低吸收衬度的化石标本;(3)基于新的成像架构和成像算法,实现了厘米-分米级较大标本内部"感兴趣区域"(Region of Interest)精确导航和局部高分辨率(微米-亚微米空间分辨)成像;(4)可以实现小型扁平标本(宽厚比4,宽10cm)高效率、高分辨率成像和长条形微体标本长轴方向自动分段无缝拼接的微米至亚微米级高分辨率重建,弥补了传统工业显微CT针对小型扁平标本和长条形微体标本高分辨成像效果不佳的缺陷。这些优势使得基于实验室X射线源的显微CT成像技术可以获得接近同步辐射X射线源的成像质量,从而有效推动化石生物学研究。     

白垩纪中期缅甸琥珀中陆生腹足类化石的新发现

腹足类化石在地层中丰富且常见,但在琥珀中保存较少。文中描述了产自白垩纪中期缅甸琥珀中的陆生腹足类化石2属2种:Euthema naggsi Yu, Wang and Pan, 2018, Truncatellina dilatatus sp. nov.。这些陆生腹足类新材料的发现,提高了缅甸琥珀中陆生腹足类物种多样性,并进一步印证了白垩纪中期缅甸琥珀森林温暖潮湿的热带雨林环境。     

刻画一亿年前的生命华章——琥珀纪

琥珀是由远古植物所分泌的树脂埋藏于地下经历复杂的理化变化而形成的一种有机宝石.由于形成琥珀的树脂具有流动和黏稠的特性,很容易在分泌的过程中包裹进小型的生物体,最终形成具有内含物的琥珀.琥珀中的生物体往往保存了其生前的三维立体结构,具有较完整的形态,甚至连完好的软组织和细胞结构都被保存下来.这些具有内含物的琥珀是古生物研...     

白垩纪中期缅甸琥珀蜚蠊目昆虫一新种(蜚蠊目: 自由蜚蠊科)

文中根据产自白垩纪中期缅甸琥珀中的一块蜚蠊标本,建立一新种Stavba vrsanskyi sp. nov.,归入自由蜚蠊科(Liberiblattinidae)。新种与Stavba babkaeva Vr?anskáand Vr?ansky, 2019不同之处在于其头部近三角形,前翅R脉简单且无二级分支, M脉分支较少。新材料的发现进一步增加了白垩纪缅甸琥珀中蜚蠊的生物多样性。     

膜翅目广腰亚目化石及其在缅甸琥珀中的研究现状及展望

白垩纪缅甸琥珀昆虫化石研究是当前古昆虫学研究的热点之一。广腰亚目是膜翅目中的一个重要类群,其研究不仅为探讨膜翅目起源、早期演化、系统发育、不同地质时期古地理、古生态等方面提供重要的科学证据,而且可为陆地生态系统中的生物多样性研究提供重要材料。文中综述缅甸琥珀的研究简史及研究现状,阐述广腰亚目在印痕化石与缅甸琥珀中的特点、分布情况及该亚目在印痕化石与缅甸琥珀间的研究差异,进而探讨膜翅目广腰亚目化石当前研究现状、存在的问题及未来前景,并期望广大研究者增加对缅甸琥珀广腰亚目类群的关注和研究。     

中国的琥珀研究新进展——序 言

文中简述了中国的琥珀研究历史,并简要介绍了本专辑的内容。本专辑呈现了近年来我国学者对克钦琥珀内含物研究的部分新进展,包括了来自14个研究单位的26位作者的13篇论文,涵盖了植物、脊椎动物、腹足类和昆虫等类群。     

东湖假单胞菌HYS中的精氨酸琥珀酰转移酶途径缺失对秀丽隐杆线虫毒性的影响

【背景】东湖假单胞菌HYS是本实验室从武汉东湖水域中分离并鉴定的一株高产铁载体细菌,HYS菌株对秀丽隐杆线虫具有较强毒性。前期研究发现HYS中编码精氨酸琥珀酰转移酶基因(argS)的插入突变可导致其对线虫毒性明显减弱。【目的】探究argS基因功能及其如何参与细菌毒性,为后续深入研究HYS菌株的毒性机制提供理论依据。【方法】采用生物信息学比对、遗传分析和生理生化实验确认argS基因的生物学功能及其参与的精氨酸琥珀酰转移酶(arginine succinyltransferase,AST)途径与细菌毒性的关系。【结果】生物信息学比对结果显示argS编码精氨酸琥珀酰转移酶,其蛋白序列与铜绿假单胞菌中精氨酸琥珀酰转移酶β亚基具有高达88%的相似度;缺失argS导致菌株不能利用精氨酸作为唯一碳源进行生长;精氨酸脱羧酶(arginine decarboxylase,ADC)、精氨酸脱氢酶(argininedehydrogenase,ADH)以及精氨酸脱亚胺酶(argininedeiminase,ADI)途径中关键基因缺失菌株均可正常利用精氨酸作为唯一碳源,且对线虫并无明显毒性减弱现象;添加外源精氨酸导致菌株对线虫的减毒效果更加明显,且菌株产铁载体能力显著下降。【结论】东湖假单胞菌HYS中AST途径可以通过影响菌株铁载体合成来影响其对秀丽隐杆线虫的毒性,本研究为深入了解假单胞菌精氨酸代谢和致病性机制提供了新依据。     

白垩纪缅甸琥珀中小型花蚤一新种(鞘翅目: 花蚤科) 及对花蚤科的分类学修订

根据产自缅甸北部白垩纪中期克钦琥珀中的一块小型花蚤化石标本,建立1新种——小多刺花蚤(Multispinus parvus sp. nov.),归于花蚤科(Mordellidae)。同时,对缅甸琥珀中已发现的花蚤和泛花蚤进行了重新观察和研究,重点分析了其形态学特征并认真考虑了相关分类学依据,将短尾花蚤科(Apotomouridae)修订为花蚤科之下的短尾花蚤亚科(Mordellidae:Apotomourinae)。短尾花蚤中普遍存在的臀锥完全不发育,不可作为区分于花蚤科的衍征。白垩纪中期琥珀中发现的花蚤化石类群体型均小,这也许与白垩纪中期生态环境和栖息地被子植物花朵形态有关。     

琥珀,哪里找?

正琥珀在世界上很多地方均有发现,但大都沉积规模很小而且很局限。大部分产地的琥珀质地都不够纯,也不能制作珠宝。能达到珠宝级,而且规模庞大沉积的琥珀几乎仅见于波罗的海地区和多米尼加共和国,这两处琥珀产地目前都在进行商业性挖掘。含有昆虫的琥珀主要产自波罗的海地区、多米尼加共和国、缅甸、墨西哥、黎巴嫩、西伯利亚、加拿大、美国新泽西州、西班     

A catalogue of Burmite inclusions

Burmite (Burmese amber) from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar is a remarkable valuable and obviously the most important amber for studying terrestrial diversity in the mid-Cretaceous.The diversity of Burmite inclusions is very high and many new taxa were found,including new order,new family/subfamily,and new genus.Till the end of 2016,14 phyla,21 classes,65 orders,279 families,515 genera and 643 species of organisms are recorded,which are summized and complied in this catalogue.Among them,587 species are arthropods.In addtion,the specimens which can not be identified into species are also listed in the paper.The information on type specimens,other materials,host and deposition of types are provided.     

FOSSIL OONOPID SPIDERS IN CRETACEOUS AMBERS FROM CANADA AND MYANMAR

Abstract:  The spider family Oonopidae is described from Cretaceous ambers from Myanmar and Canada for the first time. Orchestina albertenis sp. nov. is the first spider to be described from Canadian Grassy Lake amber and only the second spider to be described from Canadian amber. The specimen in amber from Myanmar extends the known range of the extant genus Orchestina back another 10 million years from the previously oldest specimen in Turonian New Jersey amber. Despite being unknown as sedimentary fossils, Oonopidae occur in more fossil deposits than any other spider family and were already widespread by the Cretaceous. The family contains the oldest example of an extant spider genus along with Archaeidae, also from Burmese amber.     

Miocene Ethiopian amber: A new source of fossil cryptogams

Amber is renowned for the exceptional preservation state of its inclusions, allowing detailed morphological analysis and providing relevant environmental, palaeoecological, geographical, and geological information. Amber deposits are predominantly known from North America, Europe, and Asia, and are considered to be rare on the continents that formed Gondwana. The recent discovery of fossiliferous amber deposits in Ethiopia, therefore, provides an inimitable opportunity to close gaps in the fossil record of African terrestrial biota and to study organisms which are otherwise rare in the fossil record. Here we show that diverse cryptogams are preserved in highest fidelity in Miocene Ethiopian amber. We describe gametophyte fragments of four liverworts: Thysananthus aethiopicus sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Lejeunea abyssinicoides sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Frullania shewanensis sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae), and Frullania palaeoafricana sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae). Furthermore, we describe a pleurocarpous moss of the extant genus Isopterygium (Hypnales, Pylaisiadelphaceae) and a lichen representing the order Lecanorales. These new specimens represent the first amber fossils of liverworts, mosses, and lichens from the African continent and render Ethiopian amber as one of the few worldwide amber deposits preserving bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) or lichens. Fossil species of Thysananthus were recorded in Eocene Baltic and Oligocene Bitterfeld as well as Miocene Dominican and probably also Miocene Mexican ambers. Fossils that can unequivocally be assigned to Lejeunea have only been found in Dominican amber so far. Neotropical ambers contain only one taxon of Frullania to date, while the genus is most diverse in Baltic, Bitterfeld, and Rovno ambers, formed in temperate regions. The new fossils support a tropical to subtropical origin of Ethiopian amber. The new African liverwort fossils are included in an updated list of leafy liverworts described from worldwide Cenozoic ambers to date.     

Protist-like inclusions in amber, as evidenced by Charentes amber

The mid-Cretaceous amber of France contains thousands of protist-like inclusions similar in shape to some ciliates, flagellates and amoebae. The sheer abundance of these inclusions and their size variation within a single amber piece are not concordant with true fossil protists. French amber is coniferous in origin, which generally does not preserve well protists without cell walls. Thus, it would be surprising if French Cretaceous amber had preserved millions of protists. Here, we present a survey of the protist-like inclusions from French amber and attempt to elucidate their origins.Diverse Cretaceous ambers (from Spain, Germany and Lebanon), also derived from conifer resins, contain thousands of protist-like inclusions. In contrast, Tertiary ambers and modern resins are poor in protist-like fossils. This suggests these inclusions originated from early Cretaceous plant resins, probably secreted with the resin by trees that did not survive after the Cretaceous (such as the Cheirolepidiaceae). A review of the recent literature on amber microfossils indicates several protist-like inclusions that are unlikely to have a biological origin have already been described as real fossil protists. This is problematic in that it will bias our understanding of protist evolution.     

Phylogeny and systematics of Sphaeriusidae (Coleoptera: Myxophaga): minute living fossils with underestimated past and present-day diversity

Sphaeriusidae (Coleoptera: Myxophaga) is a group of shiny, blackish and hemispherical riparian beetles, known for their miniaturized bodies. They are worldwide in distribution, but very limited information is available about taxonomic and morphological diversity, and natural and evolutionary history. The aim of this study is to help fill in these gaps. We examined the external morphology of modern representatives using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and reconstructed the phylogeny of the family using five DNA markers (cytochrome oxidase I, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, CAD and wingless). Our results suggest a larger morphological diversity than previously expected, corresponding to the deep genetic divergences of principal lineages. We also examined two inclusions in 99-million-year-old Burmese amber. The integration of all evidence allows us to recognize three genera: the extinct genus †Burmasporum Kirejtshuk, the newly defined genus Bezesporum gen.nov. preserved in Burmese amber (B. burmiticum sp.nov. ) and present in the modern fauna of Southeast Asia, and the genus Sphaerius Waltl with a world-wide distribution. Sphaerius species are morphologically highly uniform, with the exception of species from Australia and South Africa, which share some characteristics with Bezesporum gen.nov. despite being resolved as deeply nested lineages of Sphaerius by DNA data. The presence of Bezesporum gen.nov. in Burmese amber and in recent fauna indicates that Sphaeriusidae largely maintained their specific morphology and specialized riparian lifestyle for at least 100 million years. Therefore, they can be considered an exceptionally conserved group, with a minimum of evolutionary changes over a long period. Our study also demonstrates that the species numbers and fine-scale morphological diversity of Sphaeriusidae are larger than expected in both the past and present-day faunas. Both were apparently underestimated due to the minute body size and cryptic habits of these beetles.     

Insect outbreaks produce distinctive carbon isotope signatures in defensive resins and fossiliferous ambers

Despite centuries of research addressing amber and its various inclusions, relatively little is known about the specific events having stimulated the production of geologically relevant volumes of plant resin, ultimately yielding amber deposits. Although numerous hypotheses have invoked the role of insects, to date these have proven difficult to test. Here, we use the current mountain pine beetle outbreak in western Canada as an analogy for the effects of infestation on the stable isotopic composition of carbon in resins. We show that infestation results in a rapid (approx. 1 year) (13)C enrichment of fresh lodgepole pine resins, in a pattern directly comparable with that observed in resins collected from uninfested trees subjected to water stress. Furthermore, resin isotopic values are shown to track both the progression of infestation and instances of recovery. These findings can be extended to fossil resins, including Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic and Late Cretaceous New Jersey amber, revealing similar carbon-isotopic patterns between visually clean ambers and those associated with the attack of wood-boring insects. Plant exudate δ(13)C values constitute a sensitive monitor of ecological stress in both modern and ancient forest ecosystems, and provide considerable insight concerning the genesis of amber in the geological record.     

Burmese amber: evidence of Gondwanan origin and Cretaceous dispersion

Abstract

Burmese amber is an extremely important source of mid-Cretaceous plant and animal remains with over 870 species of organisms, ranging from protozoa to vertebrates, described from this source. The amber mines are located on the West Burma Block that according to geologists was originally part of Gondwana. The present study introduces some angiosperms and insects in Burmese amber whose closest extant relatives have a Gondwanan distribution and there is no previous evidence of a Laurasian distribution. Based on this evidence, it is proposed that organisms in Burmese amber represent a selection of tropical to subtropical life forms that inhabited the interconnected continents of Gondwana in the Early Cretaceous. Based on the fossil record of angiosperms and their diversity in Burmese amber, the West Burma Block could not have rafted from Gondwana to SE Asia before the Early Cretaceous.     

SCHIZOPTERID BUGS (INSECTA: HETEROPTERA) IN MID-CRETACEOUS AMBERS FROM FRANCE and MYANMAR (BURMA)

Abstract:  Bugs of two new genera and species are described as Buzinia couillardi and Tanaia burmitica . They are preserved in mid-Cretaceous amber from south-west France and northern Myanmar (Burma), respectively ( c . 100 Ma). These are the first formally described fossils of the heteropteran family Schizopteridae. Both belong to the subfamily Hypselosomatinae and are very similar to the extant genus Hypselosoma Reuter, providing evidence for the antiquity and morphological stability of this small bug family and the infraorder Dipsocoromorpha. Given the putative ecology of the fossils, a discussion is provided on the French and Burmese amber forest ecosystems. The geological setting of La Buzinie, a new amber deposit in south-west France that yielded the two specimens of Buzinia couillardi , is outlined.