Recent studies indicate increasing numbers of fossil organisms have been found in the Amber inclusions. However, few fossils have been documented for fossil liverworts in amber. Recently, a research team of the Mesozoic plants led by Prof. WANG Yongdong and Dr. LI Ya from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), cooperated with Prof. Harald Schneider from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS and Prof. WU Pengcheng from Institute of Botany, CAS, have investigated the liverwort inclusions from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.
The end-Ordovician mass extinction (EOME) was the first of the “Big Five” extinctions of the Phanerozoic. However, there is still uncertainty concerning the exact timing of the Silurian biotic recovery following this extinction event due to the lack of reliable age constraints of fossil records during this interval.
The early land plant fossils of the group zosterophyllopsid are widely recorded in global Silurian to Devonian sediments and acts as a dominant group in the Early Devonian flora of South China. Demersatheca contigua is an endemic zosterophyllopsid of the Early Devonian flora in South China and its paleophytogeographic implication to southern China Early Devonian is discussed.
With a prominent disparity in the morphology and the microfabric, stromatolites occur widely in the fossil record of the Precambrian. Noticeably, they show a long-term decline in abundance throughout the Proterozoic. The decline tendency continued in the Phanerozoic, while the Cambrian and Early Ordovician record a resurgence of microbialites. It has long been known that the Ordovician marks a changeover from microbial to metazoan-dominated reefs. However, by the Early Ordovician, the abundance of stromatolites achieved Neoproterozoic- to Mesoproterozoic- like prevalence, based on the latest rock record–normalized occurrence analyses.
The end-Permian mass extinction (EPME), approximately 252 million years ago (Ma), was the greatest biological and ecological crisis of the Phanerozoic Eon on Earth, which caused a serious marine and terrestrial ecosystem crisis, and about 75% of terrestrial biological species disappeared. But how long does it take for terrestrial ecosystems to recover?
Mesopsychoid scorpionflies are peculiar Mesozoic insects with a distinctly elongate mouthpart and are considered to be a critical group of pollinators prior to the rise of angiosperms. A new genus found from 99-million-year-old Burmese amber reveals the origin of scorpionflies’ long mouthpart. This discovery was reported in Science Advances on March 4.
When and how animal ancestors made the transition from single-celled microbes to complex multicellular organisms is unclear. But a new scientific study suggests animal-like embryological traits developed long before animals themselves.
Scientists have long been unclear as to when insect pollination first appeared. Now, an international research group from China and the U.S. has provided the earliest evidence of insect-angiosperm pollination – by analyzing a sample of Cretaceous Burmese amber. Results were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on November 11.
Chirality is present at all scales from molecule to galaxy, and plants are not exceptional. Plants with twisted axes are usually climbing “twiners”. In extant twiners, more than 90% of them prefer fixed right-handed helices. However, researchers reported in Current Biology that a Permian fern fossil possessed a fixed left-handed twining direction.
Discovery of a new leafy liverwort from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amberRecent studies indicate increasing numbers of fossil organisms have been found in the Amber inclusions. However, few fossils have been documented for fossil liverworts in amber. Recently, a research team of the Mesozoic plants led by Prof. WANG Yongdong and Dr. LI Ya from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), cooperated with Prof. Harald Schneider from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS and Prof. WU Pengcheng from Institute of Botany, CAS, have investigated the liverwort inclusions from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.2020-04-17
Research on Graptolites confirm the precise stratigraphic correlation of the Upper Ordovician in MyanmarAsapredominantcategoryinthePaleozoicevolutionaryfauna,grapholitesincreasedrapidlyintheOrdovicianandevolvedrapidly.LateOrdoviciangraptolitesfromtheMandalayRegion,MyanmarwerefirstcollectedandreportedbyReedin1915,andthentherewerefewreportsafterthat.RecentlyAcademicianCHENXuandDr.CHENQingfromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciences(NIGPAS)cooperatedwithDr.KyiPyarAUNGfromTaunggyiUniversityinMyanmarandDr.LucyA.MUIRfromtheNationalMuseumofWalestoworkonthegraptolitefaunaandthebiostratigraphyoftheUpperOrdovicianNaungkangyiGroupandPanghsa-pyeFormationinthisarea.RelatedresearchresultswerepublishedinPalaeoworldmagazine.Basedondetailedsystematicpaleontologicaldescriptionandidentification,13speciesin5genera(Avitograptus,Korenograptus,Metabolograptus,NeodiplograptusandNormalograptus)weredescribedfromtheMandalayRegion.Twoofthesespecies,KorenograptusselectusX.Chenn.sp.andNeodiplograptusmandalayensisX.Chenn.sp.,werenew.Onthebasisofthecommunityanalysisandinternationalcorrelation,abiostratigraphicschemefortheuppermostOrdovician(Hirnantian:MetabolograptusextraordinariusBiozoneandMetabolograptus?persculptusBiozone)stratawaserectedinthisarea.ThisresearchwassupportedbytheStrategicPriorityResearchProgramofChineseAcademyofSciences,NationalScienceandTechnologyMajorProjectofChina,MinistryofNatureandResourcesofChinaandtheNationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChina.Reference:ChenXu*,ChenQing,KyiPyarAung,LucyA.Muir.2020.LatestOrdoviciangraptolitesfromtheMandalayRegion,Myanmar.Palaeoworld,29:47–65.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2019.09.003GraptolitespeciesrangechartoftheUpperOrdovicianintervalintheShwethinVillage–Yebyantaungwaterfallsection,Mandalay,MyanmarTypicalgraptolitespictures2020-04-14
Broad recovery following the end-Ordovician mass extinction commenced globally at the very beginning of the SilurianThe end-Ordovician mass extinction (EOME) was the first of the “Big Five” extinctions of the Phanerozoic. However, there is still uncertainty concerning the exact timing of the Silurian biotic recovery following this extinction event due to the lack of reliable age constraints of fossil records during this interval.2020-04-10
Zosterophyllopsida discovered from the Lower Devonian of both Yunnan and Guangxi, southwestern ChinaThe early land plant fossils of the group zosterophyllopsid are widely recorded in global Silurian to Devonian sediments and acts as a dominant group in the Early Devonian flora of South China. Demersatheca contigua is an endemic zosterophyllopsid of the Early Devonian flora in South China and its paleophytogeographic implication to southern China Early Devonian is discussed.2020-04-10
Microbial reefs reveal gradient of water depth on eastern Yangtze Platform during Early OrdovicianWith a prominent disparity in the morphology and the microfabric, stromatolites occur widely in the fossil record of the Precambrian. Noticeably, they show a long-term decline in abundance throughout the Proterozoic. The decline tendency continued in the Phanerozoic, while the Cambrian and Early Ordovician record a resurgence of microbialites. It has long been known that the Ordovician marks a changeover from microbial to metazoan-dominated reefs. However, by the Early Ordovician, the abundance of stromatolites achieved Neoproterozoic- to Mesoproterozoic- like prevalence, based on the latest rock record–normalized occurrence analyses.2020-04-09
Recovery of lacustrine ecosystems after the end-Permian mass extinction needs 10 million yearsThe end-Permian mass extinction (EPME), approximately 252 million years ago (Ma), was the greatest biological and ecological crisis of the Phanerozoic Eon on Earth, which caused a serious marine and terrestrial ecosystem crisis, and about 75% of terrestrial biological species disappeared. But how long does it take for terrestrial ecosystems to recover?2020-04-02
Amber Specimens Reveal Origin of Long Mouthpart of ScorpionfliesMesopsychoid scorpionflies are peculiar Mesozoic insects with a distinctly elongate mouthpart and are considered to be a critical group of pollinators prior to the rise of angiosperms. A new genus found from 99-million-year-old Burmese amber reveals the origin of scorpionflies’ long mouthpart. This discovery was reported in Science Advances on March 4.2020-03-05
Researchers Say Animal-like Embryos Preceded Animal AppearanceWhen and how animal ancestors made the transition from single-celled microbes to complex multicellular organisms is unclear. But a new scientific study suggests animal-like embryological traits developed long before animals themselves.2019-11-28
Earliest Evidence of Insect-angiosperm Pollination Found in Cretaceous Burmese AmberScientists have long been unclear as to when insect pollination first appeared. Now, an international research group from China and the U.S. has provided the earliest evidence of insect-angiosperm pollination – by analyzing a sample of Cretaceous Burmese amber. Results were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on November 11.2019-11-19
Researchers found a left-handed fern twiner in a Permian swamp forestChirality is present at all scales from molecule to galaxy, and plants are not exceptional. Plants with twisted axes are usually climbing “twiners”. In extant twiners, more than 90% of them prefer fixed right-handed helices. However, researchers reported in Current Biology that a Permian fern fossil possessed a fixed left-handed twining direction.2019-11-19