{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/130052"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/130052","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Internal structure and chemical composition of arthropods from Early Miocene Dominican Republic amber","abstract":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-08-01","abstract_html":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-08-01","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Williams, Cariad J."],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Entomology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Heads, Sam","Alleyne, Marianne","Berenbaum, May","Suarez, Andrew"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-07-21","date_published":"2025-07-21","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:06Z","subjects":["Dominican Amber","Arthropod","Miocene","Internal Structures","Elemental Analysis"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Cariad Williams"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130052","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Heads, Sam","Alleyne, Marianne","Berenbaum, May","Suarez, Andrew"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Williams, Cariad J."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-07-21","2025-08"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Entomology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Dominican Amber","Arthropod","Miocene","Internal Structures","Elemental Analysis"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Cariad Williams"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130052"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-08-01","The student, Cariad Williams, accepted the attached license on 2025-07-17 at 13:27.","The student, Cariad Williams, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-07-18 at 11:34.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-07-21 at 14:58.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22640 on 2025-10-21 at 10:06:11","Amber is a remarkable mode of fossil preservation, often capturing fine anatomical details such as coloration, three-dimensional morphology, internal structures, and even ecological interactions. This fidelity enables reconstructions of ancient ecosystems and evolutionary pathways. Among global deposits, Early Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic (DRA) is considered among the most exceptional in quality. In the introductory chapter of this thesis, I review the current state of knowledge on the taphonomic pathways involved in the preservation of insects in amber. In Chapter Two, I apply complementary microscopy (light and electron) and elemental analysis (energy dispersive X-ray analysis) to investigate the internal structures of five arthropods preserved in DRA—two Coleoptera and three Hymenoptera, including two Formicidae. Mummified internal tissues were preserved in several specimens, including sclerotized tubes identified as tracheae, an organ interpreted as the crop, and Malpighian tubules. Elemental analysis of the preserved arthropods revealed consistently high levels of carbon and oxygen, indicating organic preservation. Surprisingly, silica and phosphorus were also detected—anomalous for amber fossils, which typically preserve through resin polymerization rather than mineral replacement. This suggests some degree of permineralization occurred within the amber matrix. These findings underscore the exceptional preservation potential of DRA and its value for reconstructing arthropod physiology and Miocene biodiversity. Further analysis of additional elements (e.g., aluminum, calcium, potassium) is warranted. Future work should include gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of extant Hymenaea resin to assess the compositional relationship between modern and fossilized resin. Microscopy and elemental analysis of amber inclusions provide critical tools for paleoentomology, advancing understanding of fossilization pathways, organismal biology, and ancient environments."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Internal structure and chemical composition of arthropods from Early Miocene Dominican Republic amber"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Heads, Sam","Alleyne, Marianne","Berenbaum, May","Suarez, Andrew"],"dc:creator":["Williams, Cariad J."],"dc:date":["2025-07-21","2025-08"],"dc:description":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-08-01","The student, Cariad Williams, accepted the attached license on 2025-07-17 at 13:27.","The student, Cariad Williams, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-07-18 at 11:34.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-07-21 at 14:58.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22640 on 2025-10-21 at 10:06:11","Amber is a remarkable mode of fossil preservation, often capturing fine anatomical details such as coloration, three-dimensional morphology, internal structures, and even ecological interactions. This fidelity enables reconstructions of ancient ecosystems and evolutionary pathways. Among global deposits, Early Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic (DRA) is considered among the most exceptional in quality. In the introductory chapter of this thesis, I review the current state of knowledge on the taphonomic pathways involved in the preservation of insects in amber. In Chapter Two, I apply complementary microscopy (light and electron) and elemental analysis (energy dispersive X-ray analysis) to investigate the internal structures of five arthropods preserved in DRA—two Coleoptera and three Hymenoptera, including two Formicidae. Mummified internal tissues were preserved in several specimens, including sclerotized tubes identified as tracheae, an organ interpreted as the crop, and Malpighian tubules. Elemental analysis of the preserved arthropods revealed consistently high levels of carbon and oxygen, indicating organic preservation. Surprisingly, silica and phosphorus were also detected—anomalous for amber fossils, which typically preserve through resin polymerization rather than mineral replacement. This suggests some degree of permineralization occurred within the amber matrix. These findings underscore the exceptional preservation potential of DRA and its value for reconstructing arthropod physiology and Miocene biodiversity. Further analysis of additional elements (e.g., aluminum, calcium, potassium) is warranted. Future work should include gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of extant Hymenaea resin to assess the compositional relationship between modern and fossilized resin. Microscopy and elemental analysis of amber inclusions provide critical tools for paleoentomology, advancing understanding of fossilization pathways, organismal biology, and ancient environments."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130052"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Cariad Williams"],"dc:subject":["Dominican Amber","Arthropod","Miocene","Internal Structures","Elemental Analysis"],"dc:title":["Internal structure and chemical composition of arthropods from Early Miocene Dominican Republic amber"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Entomology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:06Z"}