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.
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Talk of PD Dr. Kenneth de Baets (GZN): “Gasping fish and panting belemnites: Warming, growth and migration of water-breathing animals ” in Hörsaal Geologie
Palaeobiology student Fiona Pye receives the PeerJ Award for Open Data Analysis and Publication in Palaeontology
Guest student Wyatt Petryshen studies 3D morphometrics of conodonts
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