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.