热河生物群--探索中生代生命演化的世界级化石宝库

最近十多年来，我国在热河生物群各门类生物研究方面取得了一系列重要的发现和成果。我国辽西地区已经成为世界上研究鸟类起源，恐龙的进化，鸟类、哺乳动物以及被子植物的早期演化和辐射等最重要的地区之一。同位素测年技术的广泛应用，表明热河生物群属于早白垩世，在地球上延续了大约2千万年。热河生物群的繁盛和东亚地区当时特有的温暖的淡水和陆地环境具有密切的联系。而频繁的火山活动又是化石得以大量完美保存的重要因素之一。热河生物群的研究还具有很大的潜力，而对化石的科学发掘和保护的任务还十分艰巨。

Jehol Biota:A World-class Fossil Treasure House for Exploring the Mesozoic Life Evolution

The past decade has witnessed the discoveries of various important fossils from the Mesozoic Jehol Biota. As a result, western Liaoning Province has become one of the most important areas in the world for the study on the origin of birds, dinosaur evolution, and the early evolution and radiation of birds, mammals and angiosperms. The applications of various isotope-dating techniques have indicated that the Jehol Biota belongs to the Early Cretaceous, living on earth for around 20 million years. The flourishing of the Jehol Biota is related to the unique, warm, fresh water and continental environment of East Asia in the Early Cretaceous. The frequent volcanic eruptions were also responsible for the exceptional preservation of abundant fossils. The study of the Jehol Biota has a long way to go, while the scientific administration and protection of the fossil sites remains a pressing issue.