DFG Research Unit FOR 2685

Student theses on fossilization

  1. Yang, T.-R.  2018.  The reproductive biology of Cretaceous oviraptorid dinosaurs and its implication for the origin of bird reproduction.  Ph.D. dissertation in Biology, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project A3]

  2. Scheil, M.  2018.  U-Pb systematics of fossil biogenic apatite from the Morrison Formation (USA) and the Langenberg Quarry (Germany).  M.Sc. thesis in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project B4]

  3. Krick, A.  2018.  Petrographische und geochemische Untersuchungen von verkieseltem Holz aus dem Escalante Petrified Forest State Park in Utah (USA).  B.Sc. thesis in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project B4]

  4. Egger, F.  2018.  Petrographische und geochemische Untersuchungen fossiler Knochen aus Tendaguru (Tansania) B.Sc. thesis in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project B4]

  5. Gäb, F.  2019.  Experimental data from siderite formation in Superior type BIFs on the CO2 partial pressure in the Archaean atmosphere.  Ph.D. dissertation in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project B1]

  6. Gerschermann, S.  2019.  Untersuchungen von Mikrostrukturen und Viskositäten zur Klärung der Ablagerungen und der Fossilisation in den Solnhofener Plattenkalken.  B.Sc. thesis in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project B1]

  7. Henkemeier, N.  2019. Redescription of the soft part preservation in the holotype of Scaphognathus crassirostris (Goldfuß, 1831). M.Sc. thesis in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project A2]

  8. Raubach, D.  2019.  Petrologische und geochemische Analyse von Fossilien aus der Posidonienschiefer-Formation Lias ε aus Süddeutschland. B.Sc. thesis in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project B4]

  9. Niedermeier, D.  2020.  Uranium-lead dating of carnelian from paleosols of the Buntsandstein.  M.Sc. thesis in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project B4]

  10. Sartorelli de Olivera, H.  2020.  An enhanced thaphonomic model for Brazlian Mesosauridae (Amniota, Sauropsida) using a quantitative approach.  M.Sc. thesis in Organismic Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Palaeobiology, University of Bonn [Project A2]

  11. Pereira, L. G.  2020.  Mineralogy and preservational quality of Late Mesozoic silicified wood and mineralized dinosaur bone.  M.Sc. thesis in Organismic Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Palaeobiology, University of Bonn [Project B2]

  12. Graeber, F.  2021.  Geochemical analysis of fossilized bone tissue. M.Sc. thesis in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project B4]

  13. Schnell, A.  Submitted in March 2021.  Mass spectrometric analysis of short-lived intermediates and ancient fossils.  Ph.D dissertation in Chemistry, Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn [Project A3]

  14. Barthel, H. J.  Soft tissue preservation in amber — A study on the limits of fossilisation in amber-embedded arthropods. Ph.D. dissertation in Geosciences to be completed in 2021, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project C2]

  15. Janssen, K.  Der Einfluss bakterieller Aktivität auf die Präservierung und den Abbau von Weichgewebe.  Ph.D. dissertation in Biology to be completed in 2021, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University of Bonn [Project B3]

  16. Mähler, B.  Decay experiments on decapods under different environmental conditions and the influence of bacterial activity with regard to fossilization.  Ph.D. dissertation in Geosciences to be completed in 2021, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project B3]

  17. Kral, A. G.  In vitro aqueous alteration experiments on cortical bone -  quantification and visualization of effects from the micro- down to the nanoscale. Ph.D. dissertation in Geosciences to be completed in 2021, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project A1]

  18. Malekhosseini, M.  ldentification of trace chemical components and structures against herbivory in fossil plant leaves.  Ph.D. dissertation in Geosciences to be completed in 2021, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project C1]


Publications of Research Unit FOR 2685, 2018 to 2021

  1. Yang, T.-R., Y.-H. Chen, J. Wiemann, B. Spiering, and P.M. Sander. 2018. Fossil eggshell cuticle elucidates dinosaur nesting ecology. PeerJ, 6: e5144, 1–23.

  2. McCoy, V.E., A. Boom, O. Wings, T. Wappler, C. Labandeira, and C.T. Gee. Fossilization of the Eocene “monkeyhair” laticifer tree from Geiseltal, Germany: A deeper understanding enabled by micro CT and pyrolysis GC/MS. Palaios, revised MS submitted in November 2020.

  3. McCoy, V.E., S.E. Gabbott, K. Penkman, M.J. Collins, S. Presslee, J. Holt, H. Grossman, B. Wang, M.M. Solórzano Kraemer, X. Delclòs, and E. Penalver. 2019. Ancient amino acids from fossil feathers in amber. Scientific Reports, 9: 6420.

  4. Gee, C.T., P.M. Sander, S.E. Peters, M.T. El-Hennawy, M.S.M. Antar, I.S. Zalmout, and P.D. Gingerich. 2018. Fossil burrow assemblage, not mangrove roots: reinterpretation of the main whale- bearing layer in the late Eocene of Wadi Al-Hitan, Egypt. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 143:143–158.

  5. Jäger, K.R.K., H. Tischlinger, G. Oleschinski, and P.M. Sander. 2018. Goldfuß was right: Soft part preservation in the Late Jurassic pterosaur Scaphognathus crassirostris revealed by reflectance transformation imaging and ultraviolet light and the auspicious beginnings of paleo-art. Palaeontologia Electronica, 21.3.3T: 1–20.

  6. Wiemann, J., T.-R. Yang, and M.A. Norell. 2018. Dinosaur egg colour had a single evolutionary origin. Nature, 563: 555-559.

  7. Wiemann, J., M. Fabbri, T.-R. Yang, K. Stein, P.M. Sander, M.A. Norell, and D.E.G. Briggs. 2018. Fossilization transforms vertebrate hard tissue proteins into N-heterocyclic polymers. Nature Communications, 9: 4741.

  8. Stein, K., E. Prondvai, T. Huang, J.-M. Baele, P.M. Sander, and R. Reisz. 2019. Structure and evolutionary implications of the earliest (Sinemurian, Early Jurassic) dinosaur eggs and eggshells. Scientific Reports, 9: 4424.

  9. Peris, D., C.C. Labandeira, E. Barrón, X. Delclòs, J. Rust, and B. Wang. 2020. Generalist pollen-feeding beetles during the mid-Cretaceous. iScience, 23(3): 100913.

  10. Peris, D., and J. Jelínek. 2019. Syninclusions of two new species of short-winged flower beetle (Coleoptera: Kateretidae) in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Myanmar). Cretaceous Research, 106: 104264.

  11. McCoy, V.E., J. Wiemann, J.C. Lamsdell, C.D. Whalen, S. Lidgard, P. Mayer, H. Petermann, and D.E.G. Briggs. 2020. Chemical signatures of soft tissues distinguish between vertebrates and invertebrates from the Carboniferous Mazon Creek Lagerstätte of Illinois. Geobiology, 18: 560–565.

  12. Peris, D., and J. Jelínek. 2019. Atypical short electra in Cretaceous short-winged flower beetles (Coleoptera: Kateretidae). Palaeoentomology, 002(5): 505–514.

  13. Liesegang, M., and C.T. Gee. 2020. Silica entry and accumulation in standing trees in a hot-spring environment: cellular pathways, rapid pace and fossilization potential. Palaeontology, 63(4): 651–660.

  14. Gee, C.T., V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander. 2021. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.  [ A blog post on the book ]

  15. Sander, P.M., and C.T. Gee. 2021. Chapter 1. Introduction to the limits of the fossil record, pp. 1–15.. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  16. Wiersma, K., S. Läbe, and P.M. Sander. 2021. Chapter 2. Organic phase preservation in fossil dinosaur and other tetrapod bone from deep time: Extending the probable osteocyte record to the early Permian, pp. 16–54. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  17. Yang, T.-R., and A. Canoville. 2021. Chapter 3. Fossilization of reproduction-related hard and soft tissues and structures in non-avian dinosaurs and birds, pp. 55–72. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  18. Geisler, T., and M. Menneken. 2021. Chapter 4. Raman spectroscopy in fossilization research: Basic principles, applications in paleontology, and a case study on an acanthodian fish spine, pp. 73–114. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  19. Barthel, H.J., V.E. McCoy, and J. Rust. 2021. Chapter 5. From ultrastructure to biomolecular composition: Taphonomic patterns of tissue preservation in arthropod inclusions in amber, pp. 115–138. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp..

  20. Gee, C.T., and M. Liesegang. 2021. Chapter 6. Experimental silicification of wood in the lab and field: Pivotal studies and open questions, pp. 139–158. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  21. Liesegang, M., F. Tomaschek, and J. Götze. 2021. Chapter 7. The structure and chemistry of silica in mineralized wood: Techniques and analysis, pp. 159–186. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  22. McCoy, V.E., T. Wappler, and C.C. Labandeira. 2021. Chapter 8. Exceptional fossilization of ecological interactions: Plant defenses during the four major expansions of arthropod herbivory in the fossil record, pp. 187–220. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  23. Gee, C.T., and V.E. McCoy. 2021. Chapter 9. Color in living and fossil plants: The search for biological pigments in the paleobotanical record, pp. 221–248. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  24. McCoy, V.E. 2021. Chapter 10. The future of fossilization, pp. 249–255. In C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, and P.M. Sander, eds. Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 274 pp.

  25. Peris, D., K. Janssen, H.J. Barthel, G. Bierbaum, X. Delclòs, E. Penalver, M.M. Solórzano Kraemer, B.H. Jordal, and J. Rust. 2020. DNA from resin-entombed organisms: Past, present and future. PLoS Biology, 15(9): e0239521.

  26. Barthel, H.J., D. Fougerouse, T. Geisler, and J. Rust. 2020. Fluoridation of a lizard bone embedded in Dominican amber suggests open-sytem behaviour. PLoS One, 15(2): e0228843.

  27. Liesegang, M., and F. Tomaschek. 2020. Tracing the continental diagenetic loop of the opal-A to opal-CT transformation with X-ray diffraction. Sedimentary Geology, 398: 105603.

  28. Mähler, B., K. Janssen, M. Mennecken, M. Tahoun, M. Lagos, G. Bierbaum, C. Müller, and J. Rust. 2020. Calcite precipitation forms crystal clusters and muscle mineralization during the decomposition of Cambarellus diminutus (Decapoda: Cambaridae) in freshwater. Palaeontologica electronica, 23(3): a55.

  29. Peris, D. 2020. Coleoptera in amber from Cretaceous resiniferous forests. Cretaceous Research, 113: 104484.

  30. Weber, K., M. Weber, M. Menneken, A.G. Kral, R. Mertz-Kraus, T. Geisler, J. Vogl, T. Tütken. In press. Diagenetic stability of non-traditional stable isotope systems (Ca, Sr, Mg, Zn) in teeth — An in-vitro alteration experiment of biogenic apatite in isotopically enriched tracer solution. Chemical Geology. [ Available online at doi ]

  31. Kral, A., A. Ziegler, T. Tütken, and T. Geisler. 2021. Experimental aqueous alteration of cortical bone microarchitecture analysed by quantitative micro-computed tomography. Frontiers in Earth Science. [ Abstract available online ]  

  32. Tahoun, M., C.T. Gee, V.E. McCoy, P.M. Sander, and C.E. Müller. 2021. Chemistry of porphyrins in fossil plants and animals. RSC Advances., 11: 7552.

  33. McCoy, V.E., H.J. Barthel, A. Boom, E. Peñalver, X. Delclòs, and M.M. Solórzano-Kramer. In review. Volatile and semi-volatile composition of Cretaceous amber. Cretaceous Research, in review since December 2020.

  34. Gäb, F., C. Ballhaus, E. Stinnesbeck, A.G. Kral, K. Janssen, and G. Bierbaum. 2020. Experimental taphonomy of fish—Role of elevated pressure, salinity and pH. Scientific Reports, 10: 7839.

  35. Janssen, K., S.L. Low, Y. Wang, Q.-Y. Mu, G. Bierbaum, and C.T. Gee. Submitted. Dissecting biofilm diversity on water lily leaves through 16S rRNA amplicon analysis: Comparison of four DNA extraction kits.  Under consideration for a special issue on "Advances, Applications, and Prospects in Aquatic Botany" in Applications in Plant Sciences, proposal submitted March 2021.

  36. Janssen, K., B. Mähler, J. Rust, G. Bierbaum, and V.E. McCoy.  In review.  The complex role of microbial metabolic activity in fossilization.  Biological Reviews, in review since December 2020.

  37. McCoy, V. E., Gee, C. T., and Wings, O.  In review.  Fossil evidence of latex sabotaging behaviour by herbivorous insects.  Proceedings of the Royal Society B, in review since March 2021.