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- Title
A microworld in Triassic amber.
- Authors
Schmidt, Alexander R; Ragazzi, Eugenio; Coppellotti, Olimpia; Roghi, Guido
- Abstract
Amber provides an effective medium for conservation of soft-bodied microorganisms, but finds older than 135 million years are very rare and have not so far contained any microbial inclusions. Here we describe 220-million-year-old droplets of amber containing bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoans that are assignable to extant genera. These inclusions provide insight into the evolution and palaeoecology of Lower Mesozoic microorganisms: it seems that the basal levels of food webs of terrestrial communities (biocoenoses) have undergone little or no morphological change from the Triassic to the Recent.
- Publication
Nature, 2006, Vol 444, Issue 7121, p835
- ISSN
1476-4687
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1038/444835a