Palaeobotanical reasearch in Münster concentrates on late Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic floras. Macro- and microscopic studies of a wide variety of material, including permineralizations, im/compression fossils and dispersed pollen and spores, are carried out. Our aim is to get a better insight in the natural relationships between the various fossil plants, their development and ecology. Although most groups are long since extinct, life history, growth strategy and vegetation dynamics can often be reconstructed in considerable detail; other aspects considered are biostratigraphy, palaeoclimatology and phytogeography. Although a wide variety research themes can be listed here, we only give a few examples of key areas.