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

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。

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

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 sarne 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 occure. The inclusions are composed mainly of fi brous palygorskite and amorphous organic residure. It is possible that the anaerobic conditions within the cavity prevented the biomolecules from degradation, and the palygor-skite with its complex mineral structure were advantageous to the preserva tion of the DNAs, Stratigraphic occurrence, mineral and elemental composition,as well as taphonomical aspect of the egg fossil are reported and discussed in this pa-peL