Identification of Carboniferous (320 Million Years Old) Class Ic Amber

The presence of amber, the fossil form of the resins produced by many types of higher plants, has been reported from many localities in Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks. We have found Class I (polylabdanoid) amber in Carboniferous sediments dating to approximately 320 million years ago. This result demon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2009-10, Vol.326 (5949), p.132-134
Main Authors: Bray, P. Sargent, Anderson, Ken B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amber
Amber - chemistry
Amber - classification
Angiosperms
Biochemistry
Biological Evolution
Coal
Coniferophyta - chemistry
Coniferophyta - genetics
Coniferophyta - metabolism
Conifers
Cycadopsida - chemistry
Cycadopsida - genetics
Cycadopsida - metabolism
Diterpenes
Diterpenes - analysis
Diterpenes - metabolism
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Fossils
Illinois
Magnoliopsida - chemistry
Magnoliopsida - genetics
Magnoliopsida - metabolism
Naphthalenes - analysis
Naphthalenes - metabolism
Paleobotany
Paleoecology
Paleontology
Pyrolysis
Resins
Sediments
Spermatozoa
Stereoisomerism
Terpenes - analysis
Terpenes - metabolism
Terpenoids
Time
Trees
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Summary:The presence of amber, the fossil form of the resins produced by many types of higher plants, has been reported from many localities in Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks. We have found Class I (polylabdanoid) amber in Carboniferous sediments dating to approximately 320 million years ago. This result demonstrates that preconifer gymnosperms evolved the biosynthetic mechanisms to produce complex polyterpenoid resins earlier than previously believed and that the biosynthetic pathways leading to the types of polylabdanoid resins that are now typically found in conifers and those now typically found in angiosperms had already diverged by the Carboniferous.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1177539