TPO 45 Integrated Writing Task

The reading claims that the very old bee-nest-like fossil structures being found inside 200-million-year-old fossilized trees is doubted to be not created by bees. The author elaborates his viewpoints by providing three main reasons. Nevertheless, the professor believes that these concepts have serious weakness and refutes each of them.

First, the reading avers that there is not any fossil remains of actual bees dated to 200 million years ago exists nowadays. Plus, the oldest bee fossils found today is only 100 million years old. However, the professor refutes this concept by stating that bees could not be preserved as fossils for such a long time since only the fossil who was enveloped by a kind of stinky liquid secreting by a special kind of tree could be well preserved. But this kind of tree was quite rare at that time. Therefore, even many bees have been fossilized, few of them could remain.

Furthermore, the article deposits that the absence of flowing plants indicates bees did not survive at that time owing to today' bees feed almost exclusively on the flowers of flowering plants, wheras flowering plants first appeared 125 milion years ago. On the other hand, the lecturer mentions that bees could be feed on non-flowering plants before the appearance of flowering plants. Therefore, bees may develop the mutual relationship with flowering plants at the later time being stable and ever since.

Finally, the article asserts the fossilized structures lack some details such as a spiral pattern used to close chambers. Contrary, the lecturer casts doubt on this concept by stating that the fossilized structure have other chemical evidence. Bees construct thier nest water-proof, which is achieved by a special chemical ingredient and this is the same in both modern nest and fossil nest.