Projectgroups and Databases

    CURRENT RESEARCH AT THE STATE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY STUTTGART

     

    CENOZOIC

    G. Bechly, R. Böttcher, J. Eder, E.P.J. Heizmann, V. Köcke, M.W. Rasser, R. Ziegler

    The taxonomy, phylogeny, biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of a wide range of organisms (calcareous algae, higher plants, gastropods, insects, lower vertebrates and mammas) are studied. Multidisciplinary approaches include various methods, from the study of whole fossil lagerstaetten to the traumatology of a Hominid skull and the analysis of palaeobiological signals of climate changes.

    Cooperations: G. Storch (Frankfurt), M. Morlo (Mainz), V. Mosbrugger (Frankfurt), J. Kuss (Bremen), C. Scheibner (Bremen), G. Freund (Erlangen), H.G. König (Tübingen), J. Wahl (Konstanz).

    FOSSIL INSECTS

    G. Bechly

    The main focus is biodiversity research on fossil insects from amber and from Mesozoic limestones (e.g. Solnhofen, Nusplingen, Brazil, and China), as well as studies on the phylogeny and evolution of dragonflies and other basal pterygotes, with descriptions of new species, reconstructions of phylogenetic trees, and the formulation of evolutionary scenarios.

    Cooperations: J. Dunlop (Berlin), D. Grimaldi (New York), E. Jarzembowski (Maidstone), X. Martínez-Delclòs (Barcelona), A. Nel (Paris), J. Ware (New Brunswick).

    Homepage Odonata: http://www.bernstein.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/odonata/

    JURASSIC INVERTEBRATES

    G. Bechly, G. Schweigert

    The Swabian and Franconian Jurassic are ‘classical’ areas of Jurassic research. Biostratigraphic, phylogenetic and palecological data of various invertebrates from this area provide significant insights in former life, e.g., cephalopods (especially ammonites), crustaceans and other arthropods. High diverse and well-preserved faunas occur in the sponge-microbial mounds and in the coralliferous lithofacies of the Upper Jurassic.

    Cooperations: F. Atrops (Lyon), G. Bloos (Stuttgart), W. Brenner (Kiel), J.H. Callomon (London), G. Dietl (Stuttgart), V. Dietze (Riesbürg), R. Feldmann (Kent, Ohio), F. Fürsich (Erlangen), A. Garassino (Milano), C. Klug (Zürich), M. Mäuser (Bamberg), E. Mattioli (Lyon), G. Melendez (Zaragoza), M. Röper (Solnhofen), C. Schweitzer (Kent, Ohio), E. Settles (München), W. Werner (München).

    Homepage Nusplinger Plattenkalk: http://www.plattenkalk-nusplingen.naturkundemuseum-bw.de

    MESOZOIC FOSSIL LAGERSTAETTEN

    R. Böttcher, A. Matzke, R. Schoch, G. Schweigert

    The formation of fossil lagerstaetten and their palaeoenvironmental reconstructions are the main foci of this research topic. These are based on data from earlier and current scientific excavations in Kupferzell and Vellberg (Early Keuper), Trossingen (Knollenmergel) and Nusplingen (Upper Jurassic).

    Cooperations: G. Arratia (Lawrence), H. Hagdorn (Ingelfingen), S. Klug, J. Kriwet (Berlin), D. Seegis (Schorndorf).

    NORTHERN ALPINE MOLASSE ZONE AND EQUIVALENTS

    G. Bechly, R. Böttcher, J. Eder, E.P.J. Heizmann, M.W. Rasser, R. Ziegler

    The biostratigraphy, taxonomy and palaeoecology of Miocene, non-marine depositional environments of the Lower and Upper Freshwater Molasse and comparable developments in the Hegau area and on the Swabian Alb are studied. Among the Upper Marine Molasse, our research focuses on stratigraphy, sedimentology and palecology of shallow-marine, siliciclastic sediments.

    Cooperations: R. Bernor (Washington), U. Bieg (Wien), L. Costeur (Basel), C. Delmer (Paris), M. Harzhauser (Wien), O. Fejfar (Prag), W. Mittmann (Karlsruhe), W. Munk (Karlsruhe), J.H. Nebelsick (Tübingen).

    Homepage Molasse research: http://www.molasse.net
    Homepage Höwenegg (Hegau): http://science.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/de/forschungsvorhaben_hoewenegg

    TRIASSIC VERTEBRATES

    R. Böttcher, R. Schoch

    Among the Triassic vertebrates, our studies focus on the taxonomy, morphology and phylogeny of fishes, amphibians and reptiles of the Keuper (Middle and Upper Triassic), and amphibian faunas from the Carboniferous, Permian, and the Triassic world-wide.

    Cooperations: N. Fröbisch (Montréal), D. Gower (London), M. Jones (London), J. Martz (Lubbock), A.R. Milner (London), M. Parrish (Davis), R.R. Reisz (Toronto), A. de Ricqlès (Paris), M. Ruta (Bristol), S. Sanchez (Paris), D. Seegis (Schorndorf), F. Witzmann (Berlin).

    CATALOUGES, DATABASES, VARIOUS

    - Catalogue of fossil mammals (E.P.J. Heizmann)

    - Catalogue of staphylinid beetles in the amber collections of SMNS (K. Wolf-Schwenninger)

    - Phylogenetic system of all groups of fossil and Recent organisms, with database CladoBase and an interactive, hyperbolic tree of life for the Internet (G. Bechly, R. Schoch, in cooperation with E. Weber, Tübingen)

    - LithoLex - Lithostratigraphic database of Germany (M.W. Rasser, in cooperation with M. Hiß, Krefeld, A. Köthe, Hannover, and the German Stratigraphic Commission)

    - Catalogue of Pleistocene elephants (R. Ziegler, T. Rathgeber)