Environnements paraliques à ambre et à végétaux du Crétacé Nord-Aquitain (Charentes, Sud-Ouest de la France)

New fossil deposits with amber and plants were discovered in Albian and Cenomanian<br />strata from Charente-Maritime, SW France. One of these, dated as Albian, constitutes one of<br />the most important deposits of Cretaceous amber, regarding its richness and diversity of<br />inclusions. Insects and arthropods are abundant, but few plant and vertebrate remains (one<br />feather and a fragment of reptilian skin) are also found. In addition to the common<br />associations of arthropods trapped in the resin along the trunk or branches, this amber has<br />exceptionally preserved numerous litter-dwelling arthropods. The botanical origin of the<br />amber is discussed after a comparison between taphonomical, xylological and chemical<br />analysis.<br />A detailed systematic study is given for some insects which are particularly significant<br />for the knowledge of the evolutionary history of their group, or informative from a<br />paleoenvironmental or paleobiogeographic point of view. Numerous plant remains are<br />associated in amber-bearing strata, which provide additional paleoecological and<br />paleoenvironmental data.<br />Regional reconstruction of the coastal terrestrial ecosystems is proposed from a<br />sedimentological analysis of amber-bearing strata, together with paleoecological data from<br />fossil assemblages. These fossil deposits contribute to the knowledge of the Cretaceous<br />paleobiota, which constituted the first steps of our recent ecosystems.