Palaeontology

In the Department of Palaeontology, we study the evolution of ecosystems over long timescales. We deduce the environmental factors which significantly influenced the emergence and disappearance of communities throughout Earth’s history, alongside predicting the effects of modern day anthropogenic climate change on future ecosystems. To achieve this we combine geological fieldwork, state-of-the-art analytical methods, palaeobiological databases and statistical analysis.

Get information on future events and talks of the Palaeontology group by registering with our mailing list.

Niklas Hohmann​ – “Enforced symmetry: the necessity of symmetric waxing and waning”, PeerJ

Category: Pal, Pal Bachelorarbeit, Pal Master, Pal News 7. November 2019

Scientists have assumed that species display a life cycle which is similar to the the life of humans, being divided into puberty, maturity, and old age. Paleobiology student Niklas Hohmann and Dr. Emilia Jarochowska showed in their recent publication that these life cycles are mathematical relics an... Continue

Dr. Florian Janik, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kiessling, Boas Ruh and Tessa Demleitner – Panel Discussion on the Lecture “How Much Time Remains” at the Long Night of Science, October 2019

Category: GZN News, Outreach, Pal, Pal News 29. October 2019

Climate change is perceived very differently in our society. The natural sciences often set completely different priorities here than, for example, politics or economics. And how does tomorrow's generation see this development? At the Long Night of Sciences, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kießling, Dr. Florian ... Continue

“How much time does the advancing climate change leave us?”, lecture by Prof. Wolfgang Kiessling at the Long Night of Science, October 2019

Category: GZN News, Pal, Pal News 29. October 2019

Climate change is progressing faster than we would have dreamed a few years ago. The consequences for people and the environment are already clearly noticeable, but we are only at the beginning of accelerating global warming. Climate sceptics often stress that climate change has always existed, but ... Continue

Research

 

Global Change Palaeobiology

Global Change Palaeobiology interprets the response of organisms and ecosystems had to environmental changes in the past, placing emphasis on changes in climate seawater chemistry.This topic is related to the new field of Conservation Palaeobiology, but is broader in that it studies deep time in addition to the recent past. It studies patterns on both regional and global scales, and is interdisciplinary through the merging of ecology and evolution.More

Dynamics of Biodiversity

Understanding the evolutionary and ecological processes that influence the diversity of life is essential to our society and is one of the most intriguing fields of research of our time. We contribute towards internationally significant databases and develop new methods of analysis to provide insights into fundamental mechanisms.More

 

Carbonate Sedimentology and Facies Analysis

Research into carbonate systems has been a focus in Erlangen for decades. Through this, the internationally acclaimed “Flügel Course” on microfacies analysis developed, alongside the publication of the international magazine “FACIES” in Springer-Verlag, one of the world’s most renowned geoscience journals.More