How do organisms respond to rapid environmental change? Which species are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and which mechanisms determine their long-term evolutionary success? These are a few key questions addressed by researchers at the Chair of Palaeoenvironment at the GeoZentrum Nordbayern. Their work combines insights from palaeontology with state-of-the-art analytical methods, providing important contributions to our understanding of how climate change affects marine ecosystems.
In a recent interview with the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians (GDNÄ), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kießling discussed how fossils help us better understand present-day climate and biodiversity crises, and how he himself came to study the geosciences. The interview, entitled “The Next Coral Reef Is Right Outside My Front Door” is online available.
Several recent studies involving researchers from the Chair of Palaeoenvironment have also attracted considerable public interest. One recently published study shows that periods of global warming were associated with particularly pronounced reductions in the body size of marine animals. This so-called Lilliput effect has occurred repeatedly over hundreds of millions of years and may become more pronounced again as global temperatures continue to rise. More information is available in the FAU News article “Climate Change Causes Marine Animals to Shrink”.
A second recent study demonstrates that evolutionary success does not follow fixed rules and that even highly successful survival strategies can lose their advantage when environmental conditions change (“Climate Change Changes the Rules of Survival“). The findings provide new insights into the adaptability of marine ecosystems and help place current environmental changes into a broader evolutionary context.
https://www.fau.eu/2026/06/news/research/climate-change-is-reshaping-the-rules-of-survival/