Golden insights

angiosperms co-occurred, they write. Interestingly, although early angiosperms were present in the forest, no insects were found that would have pollinated their flowers. The only predators found were the ant, which probably foraged on the soil and on plants, and a linyphiid spider, whose modern relatives construct webs close to the ground. “Together with diverse microscopic inclusions these findings reveal the interaction of plants, fungi and arthropods during an epoch of major change in terrestrial ecosystems, which was caused by the initial radiation of the angiosperms,” the authors write. “Because of its age, paleogeographic location and the exceptional preservation of the inclusions, this fossil resin broadens our understanding of the ecology of the Cretaceous woodlands.”