匈牙利白堊紀晚期之琥珀中百萬年前的微生物之超微細構造

Ultrastructure of 100 Million Years Old Microorganisms of the Ajkaite (Upper Cretaceous Amber) from Hungary

本文乃利用穿透式電子顯微鏡，研究白堊紀晚期（山唐期至坎佩期）之琥珀的超薄切片，觀察到數種有機殘餘物。本文發表三種不同類型的細菌，其形態完整保存於琥珀之中；作者具體指出其細胞壁的微細構造、含液胞之原生質、高電子密度之顆粒體以及鞭毛。由於非活性脫水，致使形成此種木乃伊化的終極形式，並因這些古老細菌的微細構造保存妥當，而使其DNA化石成為遺傳學及親緣系統學研究之可能來源。

Ultrathin sections from Upper-Cretaceous (Santonian-Campanian) amber (Ajkaite) were investigated with transmission electron microscope (TEM). Several kinds of organic remnants were observed. In this contribution we report here the presence of three different types of morphologically intact bacteria very well preserved in amber. We could demonstrate the fine structure of the wall, the protoplasm with vacuoles, electron dense granules and flagella. This extreme form of mummification is attributed to inert dehydration and the fine structural preservation makes these ancient bacteria.