Abstract

The different geographical origins of Baltic, Bitterfeld and Ukrainian ambers may be reflected in differences in their preserved fungal spores and plant pollen. In this study, over 573 palynomorphs were isolated through solvent extraction and the differences in their morphological characteristics examined using conventional transmitted light microscopy to explore this hypothesis. The spore spectra in the Baltic, Bitterfeld and Ukrainian samples differed considerably whereas the pollen spectra differed only marginally. In the Ukrainian ambers, the isolated fungal spores were primarily basidiomycetes (mostly Coprinus s.l., Strophariaceae and similar taxa with thick-walled, melanised spores), indicative of a moist environment rich in decaying plant debris. The first amber-based evidence for Ilex was found in the Bitterfeld samples and for members of the Juglandaceae in those from the Baltic. Overall, the pollen spectra were consistent with earlier findings on Eocene-Oligocene vegetation and climate. The mixed forests of those geological epochs are the hallmark of a habitat containing multifaceted niches for animals and obviously fungi.

摘要

波罗的海、比特费尔德和乌克兰琥珀的不同地理起源可能反映在它们保存的真菌孢子和植物花粉的差异上。在这项研究中，通过溶剂提取分离了超过 573 种孢粉型，并使用常规透射光显微镜检查了它们的形态特征差异，以探索这一假设。波罗的海、比特费尔德和乌克兰样本中的孢子光谱差异很大，而花粉光谱差异很小。在乌克兰琥珀中，分离出的真菌孢子主要是担子菌（主要是鬼伞属sl、Strophariaceae 和类似的具有厚壁、黑色化孢子的分类群），表明潮湿环境中富含腐烂的植物碎片。冬青的第一个基于琥珀的证据在 Bitterfeld 样本中发现，在波罗的海的 Juglandaceae 中发现。总体而言，花粉光谱与早期对始新世-渐新世植被和气候的发现一致。那些地质时代的混交林是栖息地的标志，其中包含动物和真菌的多方面生态位。