Record Details

A Diverse Paleobiota in Early Eocene Fushun Amber from China

DSpace at IIT Bombay

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Title A Diverse Paleobiota in Early Eocene Fushun Amber from China
 
Creator WANG, B
RUST, J
ENGEL, MS
SZWEDO, J
DUTTA, S
NEL, A
FAN, Y
MENG, FW
SHI, GL
JARZEMBOWSKI, EA
WAPPLER, T
STEBNER, F
FANG, Y
MAO, LM
ZHENG, DR
ZHANG, HC
 
Subject CRETACEOUS AMBER
DISPERSAL
PALEOCENE
INSECTA
INDIA
STREPSIPTERA
DITERPENOIDS
BIOGEOGRAPHY
EVOLUTION
CONIFERS
 
Description Paleogene arthropod biotas have proved important for tracing the faunal turnover and intercontinental faunal interchange driven by climatic warming and geodynamic events [1-5]. Despite the large number of Paleogene fossil arthropods in Europe and North America [5-8], little is known about the typical Asian (Laurasia-originated) arthropod biota. Here, we report a unique amber biota (50-53 million years ago) from the Lower Eocene of Fushun in northeastern China, which fills a large biogeographic gap in Eurasia. Fushun amber is derived from cupressaceous trees, as determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, and paleobotanical observations. Twenty-two orders and more than 80 families of arthropods have been reported so far, making it among the most diverse amber biotas. Our results reveal that an apparent radiation of ecological keystone insects, including eusocial, phytophagous, and parasitoid lineages, occurred at least during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. Some insect taxa have close phylogenetic affinities to those from coeval European ambers, showing a biotic interchange between the eastern and western margins of the Eurasian landmass during the Early Paleogene.
 
Publisher CELL PRESS
 
Date 2014-12-28T17:36:26Z
2014-12-28T17:36:26Z
2014
 
Type Article
 
Identifier CURRENT BIOLOGY, 24(14)1606-1610
0960-9822
1879-0445
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.05.048
http://dspace.library.iitb.ac.in/jspui/handle/100/17005
 
Language English