Contribution to the study of the structure of amber forest communities based on analysis of syninclusions in the Rovno amber (Late Eocene of Ukraine)

Abstract

The composition of syninclusions was analyzed in three representative samples of the Late Eocene Rovno amber. Statistical analysis revealed a stable connection between three pairs of taxa in all three samples, viz., the midges Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae; the flies Dolichopodidae and aphids Germaraphis ; and the mite Glaesacarus rhombeus and Sciara zone dipterans (Sciaroidea, Tipuloidea, etc.). The first pair is interpreted as representing the assemblage of aeroplankton insects; the second, the assemblage of dwellers of the trunks of amber trees; and the third pair, the assemblage of dead wood consumers. The results, although provisional, support the idea that the study of syninclusions is a useful instrument for understanding the structure of past communities.