The team studied 24 amber fossil specimens formed about 1 100 million years ago. Through the comparative analysis of their fine surface features, internal three-dimensional structure and morphological structure of living plants, they finally found the existing descendants of these amber fossil plants in the Cape Plant Area of South Africa. These well-preserved amber plant fossils were formed before the Indian plate and Gondwana continental belt were completely separated. With the disintegration of Gondwana and the northward movement of India plate, the ancestors of this biota spread to northern Myanmar through India plate, but their descendants have been living and reproducing in the Cape flora of South Africa.
These flowers have been blooming since the Mesozoic when dinosaurs flourished. The phenomenon of rapid radiation evolution of angiosperms in the middle Cretaceous and its causes have always been a hot issue for biologists, and Darwin once called this issue an "annoying mystery". In view of this "annoying mystery", this paper puts forward that "frequent fires in the middle Cretaceous may be one of the important driving forces for the evolution of angiosperms". Natural fires play an important role in the arid and hot natural ecosystem of South Africa. Many plants distributed in South Africa now have fire adaptability. Similarly, the plant fossils in this study also show high adaptability to frequent wildfires, such as slender leaves, flowers tightly wrapped by leaves, thick fur and so on. A large number of plant remains suspected of being burned were also found in amber, which also confirmed that fires occurred frequently in the middle Cretaceous. Various phenomena seem to explain to people that the strong adaptability of angiosperms to the environment is the secret of their rapid radiation evolution.
The research results were obtained by Qingdao University of Science and Technology in close cooperation with Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Kunming Institute of Botany, China Academy of Sciences, Fushun Amber Institute and Botany Institute, Shandong Normal University, Open University of England, Bristol University, University of Kansas, and South African Institute of Biodiversity, which lasted for eight years. Fushun Amber Research Institute is a private scientific research institution in Fushun City, Liaoning Province. Fushun Amber Research Institute, since its establishment on 20 1 1, has persisted in taking amber science as the research object, cooperated with Chinese and foreign amber research colleagues, and achieved many world-class achievements in the amber research field.
The journal that publishes its achievements is a sub-journal of Nature, a top international academic journal, and one of the most influential journals in the field of plant research. Professor Shark Wang of Qingdao University of Science and Technology is only in his thirties. With solid and profound professional knowledge and persistent perseverance, since 20 14, he has cooperated with many scientists and scholars such as Professor Shi Chao and Director Fan Yong, and made this important discovery. This research is supported by National Natural Science Foundation, Class B strategic pilot project of China Academy of Sciences, Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Paleontology and Stratigraphy and Shandong Natural Science Foundation.