In a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, a team of researchers examined fossilized specimens containing ants and various other organisms preserved in fossilized amber from the Cretaceous period tens of millions of years ago.
These samples reflect the existence of possible relationships between ants and other organisms that lived with them in the same environment, such as symbiosis, commensalism, and parasitism.
In an exclusive statement to Al Jazeera Net, Dr. Jose de la Fuente from the Institute of Hunting and Wildlife Research in Spain, and the lead author of the study, says that fossils are found in amber and limestone, and their importance is not limited to science alone, but extends to include arts, education and communication.
An ant preserved in Baltic Sea amber in Lithuania (approximately 2-4 mm). Previously unpublished image - Fossil from the collection of Professor José de la Fuente.
A previously unpublished photo of an ant preserved in Baltic Sea amber in Lithuania
Fossilized amber originates from the sticky terpene resin secreted by coniferous trees, in which living organisms and their remains are trapped. Most of these organisms are arthropods, in addition to plants, mollusks, aquatic organisms, vertebrates, and environmental microorganisms, before this resin turns into cobalt in water.
Then, over millions of years, amber petrifies due to pressure, heat, oxidation, and the removal of essential oils, producing solid, stable amber that contains impurities.
The researchers examined six key specimens that preserve extinct insects, in an attempt to learn more about ants that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs.
De Lafuente says that amber comes from different geographical locations and time periods. The first sample is from the Baltic Sea, from Poland (Paleocene-Eocene epoch, 55.8-33.9 million years ago).
Samples two through four and six are Burmese amber from the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar (Cretaceous period about 99 million years ago), while sample five is Dominican Republic amber (Oligocene period 33.9-23.03 million years ago).
The phenomenon of amber containing multiple organisms of different species is known as "simultaneous inclusion," and it is a rare occurrence. Researchers specifically selected these six pieces because they contained ants, which are of great importance to ecosystems.
Identifying and characterizing the morphology of fossilized ants found in amber, along with other insect fossils, provides a glimpse into life on Earth millions of years ago.
Scientists used powerful microscopes to examine the amber, identify the different species found inside it, and measure the distance between the ants and other species.
In three of the six pieces of amber, scientists found ants near moths. In the first piece, they found a crown ant, a wasp, and two moths so close to the ant that it may have been moving with it.
The second piece contained a water ant and a spider, while the third piece contained a bougainvillea ant, a snail, a centipede, and some unidentifiable insects.
The fourth piece contained a field ant and a moth, separated by about four millimeters. The fifth piece contained three different types of ants near a moth and some termites, as well as a mosquito and a poorly preserved winged insect.
In the sixth specimen, scientists found a thrush ant next to a parasitic wasp and a spider. The ant appeared to be feeding on something. Next to it was another insect, possibly a worm or larva, but since there was no indication of interaction, the researchers believe their proximity was purely coincidental.
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