Research
RESEARCH TOPICS IN PALAEONTOLOGY AT THE WWU
Middle Palaeozoic (Devonian – Lower Carboniferous) ammonoids, conodonts, and trilobites
- Morphology, ontogeny, taxonomy, and (non-cladistic) systematics
- Phylogeny and evolutionary ecology
- Biostratigraphy
- Palaeobiogeography
- Palaeobiology
- Fossil remains as archives of palaeoclimate and palaeoozeanography
Global Events in the Middle Palaeozoic
- 1st to 4th order global extinction and radiation events: basal Zlíchov-, Chebbi-, Daleje-, Chotec-, Kacak-, Taghanic-, Frasnes-, Timan-, Middlesex-, Rhinestreet-, Kellwasser-, Nehden-, Condroz-, Annulata-, Dasberg-, Hangenberg-, and Lower Alum-Shale-Events
- Palaeodiversity: gradual changes and sudden (mass) extinctions
- rapid and long-term palaeoecological trends (bio- and microfacies studies)
- global abiotic environmental changes: black shales, facies movements, eustatic fluctuations, palaeoclimate, isotope spikes
Revision and refinement of Devonian/Carboniferous chronostratigraphy and geochronology (in the frame of the National and International Subcommissions on Devonian and Carboniferous Stratigraphy)
- Revision of the base of the Emsian
- Revision of the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary
- Formal substage subdivisions of the Emsian, Eifwelian, Givetian, Frasnian, Famennian, and Tournaisian
- Milankovitch cyclicity and the duration of biozones
Facies developments, synsedimentary tectonic movements, and plate tectonic configurations/palaeogeography in the Devonian/Carbniferous of the external Variscides (northern and southern Europe, Morocco); relationships between Laurussia, NW Gondwana, and North America
Devonian reef complexes
- precise dating of times of reef growth and extinction
- reef developments in time (palaeoecology,carbonate microfacies)
- reef distribution and synsedimentary tectonic impact
- taxonomy of selected reef builders and dwellers
Taxonomy, systematics, biostratigraphy, palaeobiology, and palaeobiogeography of other mid-Palaeozoic fossil groups
- foraminiferes
- gastropods
- bivalves
- brachiopods
- fish (teeth)
- sponges and receptaculites
- crinoids
Trace fossils (M. Bertling)
Open topics concerning the palaeontology of the Münsterland and northern Sauerland (Cretaceous and Quarternary)
RESEARCH REGIONS
A focus on the Rhenish Massif, Franconia, southern France, Morocco, USA, Russia (Sibiria, Timan) and Western Australia
Other regions yielded fossils that have been or are currently subject of research: Thuringia, Belgium, northern France, SW-England, Carnic Alps, Holy Cross Mountains (Poland), Greece, Algeria, Northwest- and South China, Uzbekistan, Iran, Malaysia, Queensland, Victoria, Bolivia.
Annual Report
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2010
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2011
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2012
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2013
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2014-2015
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2016
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2017
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2018
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2019
Annual report of the working group Palaeontology - 2020