Quaternary Palaeontology
Head
Prof. Dr. Ralf-Dietrich Kahlke
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Address:
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Sabine Schneider |
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The focus of research in Quaternary Palaeontology is the reconstruction of the living world and of the ecological conditions during the global climatic changes of the Ice Age sensu lato (previous 2.5 Million years).
The central work of the Quaternary Palaeontology Research Station is investigation of the biodiversity of Quaternary systems, and the reconstruction of evolutionary changes in terrestrial animal and plant groups and palaeoecosystems, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, against the background of Pleistocene climatic variability.
The research takes place under the following sections: Quaternary Large Mammals, Quaternary Small Mammals, Quaternary Plant Macrofossils, and Quaternary Plant Microfossils, in collaboration with international research groups. Investigations on the biodiversity of Quaternary systems are of wide significance, and the results are applicable to various scientific disciplines. The research contributes to reconstructing the most recent ecological history of the earth and its influence to the recent development of the biosphere.