北京大学学报(自然科学版)

中国河南西峡盆地晚白垩世的一枚保存有遗传信息的恐龙蛋:结构、矿物-化学组成及埋葬学分析

张昀,方晓思   

  1. 北京大学生命科学学院, 北京,100871
  • 收稿日期:1995-02-05 出版日期:1995-03-20 发布日期:1995-03-20

A Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Egg with Preserved Genetic Information from Xixia Basin, Henan, China: Structure, Mineral-Chemical and Taphonomical Analyses

ZHANG Yun, FANG Xiaosi   

  1. College of Life Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871
  • Received:1995-02-05 Online:1995-03-20 Published:1995-03-20

摘要: 从河南省西峡盆地晚白垩世的一枚恐龙蛋化石的蛋腔内含物中获得了含基因片段的DNA序列。这枚蛋化石的蛋壳断面的显微结构与前人描述的恐龙蛋蛋壳显微结构的基本模式相同。完整的蛋壳及其下的次生方解石内壁封闭了蛋腔,蛋腔中含有DNA的絮状内含物主要由纤维状坡缕石和无定形有机残余物组成。封闭的蛋腔内的缺氧状态可能阻止了生物分子降解,坡缕石因其复杂的矿物结构可能吸附并保存了DNA分子。本文还报道和讨论了这枚蛋化石的产出地层,矿物及元素组成以及埋葬条件。

关键词: 恐龙蛋, 晚白垩世, 西峡盆地, 埋葬学

Abstract: Ancient DNAs representing part of genes have been obtained from the flocculent inclusions of the Late Cretaceous dinosaur egg, collected from Xixia Basin, Henan Province. The eggshell shows same microstructural pattern as that previously described for dinosaur eggs by many authors. The intact eggshell and the secondary calcite layer beneath the eggshell enclosed the internal egg-cavity, in which the flocculent inclusions occured. The inclusions are composed mainly offibrous palygorskite and amorphous organic residure. It is possible that the anaerobic conditions within the cavity prevented the biomo-lecules from degradation, and the palygor-skite with its complex mineral structure were advantageous to the preservation of the DNAs. Stratigraphic occurrence, mineral and elemental composition, as well as taphonomical aspect of the egg fossil are reported and discussed in this paper.

Key words: dinosaur egg, Late Gretaceous, Xixia Basin, taphonomy

中图分类号: