The collection houses more than 26 000 specimens from more than 1 200 species. There are mainly skulls, skins but also skeletons and some material in alcohol.
Our research is mainly embedded in the research area Biodiversity and Systematics. Other research includes morphological and ecological aspects of Rodents and Carnivora (eg.. Castor fiber, Lutra lutra, Felis silvestris).
Work based on material in the collection in Dresden as well as on the local fauna of Saxony include some projects like the following:
I am principally interested in mammalian morphology, bascic biomechanics, diversity, phylogeny, and the structure and causes of mammalian radiations. My research has been – and still is – mainly focused on:
Work on the carnivores from Sandelzhausen (Miocene, Germany) in cooperation with D. NAGEL, Vienna, and M. MORLO, and T. LEHMANN, Frankfurt)
Investigations on tooth enamel, microwear and use of teethOverall I try to understand which factors caused the evolutionary changes visible in the structure of tooth enamel. and to interpret the funciton of the visible structures. This implies trying to to understand what tensile stresses occur during mastication within the enamel.
My work on carnivores had shown that tensile stresses are an important factor causing changes in the tooth enamel structure. And I think that complex arrangement of different structural features in the enamel within a single teeth as well as within dentitions can only be better explained if the biomechanic constraints are better understood. I would like to address this issue by mathematical modeling using finite elements and to consider different surface characters, and morphological shapes of the teeth in this respect. Tooth microwear of Recent and fossil beavers.
Work on wildcats in Thuringia and Saxony, but also craniometric projects on other mammalian species e.g. Cricetus cricetus.
Phylogeny and taxonomy of tertiary beavers (Rodentia: Castoridae)Work so far wa concerned the taxonomic status of some genera and their ecology and a general phylogeny of beavers. The main focus is to understand the evolution of this taxonomically difficult group of rodents. It seems that the exact study and docomentation of variability within populations or fossil beavers from one site is an important factor to understand the evolution. Studies focused on Steneofiber from the early Miocene, in Germany as well as other species in Europe and North America (in previous and current cooperation with T. MÖRS, Stockholm, H. WAGNER; San Diego, T. FREMD, Oregon, M. RUMMEL, Augsburg).
My goal is to revise the taxonomy and systematics of Miocene beavers in Europe and America and to understand their phylogenetic relationship using modern phylogenetic analysis. I want to compare the mode, course and speed of evolution in European and American beavers in order to better understand what might drive mammalian radiations. I am also interested to differentiate the functional morphology and ecology of the different species in a fairly conservative group. I also work on biomechanic aspets of chewing in cooperation with Prof. Dr. WITZEL, Bochum
In cooperation with the “Projektrguppe Säugetiere Sachsens” a bibliography on mammals from Saxony is maintained and the latest version from Dezembre 2011 can be found here.
Here are some informations on the distribution in an around Dresden (in German only) .
The mammalogical collection has a long tradition. The oldest still preserved specimens are from the first half of the 19th century. The collection houses more than 26.000 specimens of more than 1.200 species, skulls, skeletons, skins, trophies and some material in alcohol.
Even though the collection has specimens from all over the world geographic focus areas are the Indo-Malayian area (based on the collection of A. B. Meyer), Afrika, mainly Angola (based on collections of A. Feiler), Eastern Europe and the local fauna of Saxonoy.
Rarities are the stuffed skin of a Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), a nearly complete skeleton of the giant sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) and a live-sized model of it. Some specimens of the South American collection of Pöppig are also housed in Dresden.
In 2010 the State Art Collection in Dresden celebrated their 450th anniversary. The Natural history collection in Dresden originate from the same source: the Kunstkammer founded in 1560 by the Saxonian Elector August (1526 – 1586). In the first inventory of 1587 the horn of a narwhal is mentioned – part of a mammal.
The founding date of the Natural History Collection is usually dated to 1728, the move of the collections to the Zwinger, built by the Elector August the Strong (1670 – 1733) and designed by Daniel Pöppelmann (1662 – 1736) as “Palais de Sciences” in 1728.
The long history of moves, fires, losses and eager collecting coined the history of the collection. In zoological perspective the Anatomical Chamber that was arranged in 1616 is worth while. It has been described to house skeletons of diverse mammals, always in pairs of male and female arranged in a kind of diorama.
In 1820 H. G. Reichenbach, was called to Dresden as Professor of Natural History and Director of the Natural History Collection. Under his long directorship lot of material was bought and expeditions were funded. His successor A. B. Meyer (1840 – 1911) had collected material in the indomalayian region – part of which is still in the mammal collection.
The history in the 20th century was overshadowed by the two world wars and associated changes of directorship and losses of material.
The development of the mammalogical colleciton is documented in the inventory started in 1874. Now there are 27.700 items inventoried.
A new and uniquely structured matrix of mammalian phenotypes, MaTrics (Mammalian Traits for Comparative Genomics) is presented in a digital form. By focussing on mammalian species for which genome assemblies are available, MaTrics provides an interface between mammalogy and comparative genomics.
MaTrics was developed as part of a project to link phenotypic differences between mammals to differences in their genomes using Forward Genomics. Apart from genomes this approach requires information on homologous phenotypes that are numerically encoded (presence-absence; multistate character coding*) in a matrix. MaTrics provides these data, links them to at least one reference (e.g., literature, photographs, histological sections, CT-scans, or museum specimens) and makes them available in a machine actionable NEXUS-format. By making the data computer readable, MaTrics opens a new way for digitizing collections. Currently, MaTrics covers 147 mammalian species and includes 207 characters referring to structure, morphology, physiology, ecology and ethology. Researching these traits revealed substantial knowledge gaps, highlighting the need for substantial phenotyping efforts in the genomic era. Using the trait information documented in MaTrics, previous Forward Genomics screens identified changes in genes that are associated with various phenotypes, ranging from fully-aquatic lifestyle to dietary specializations. These results motivate the continuous expansion of phenotype information, both by filling research gaps or by adding additional taxa and traits. MaTrics is digitally available online within the data repository Morph·D·Base (www.morphdbase.de).
Kontakt: matrix.consortium@senckenberg.de
Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden,
Königsbrücker Landstraße 159, 01109 Dresden, Germany
Clara Stefen
Nadja Thier
Franziska Wagner
Heiko Stuckas
Marika Asztalos
Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science,
Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Peter Giere
Ulla Lächele
Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt,
Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
Irina Ruf
Rebecca Hofmann
Thomas Lehmann
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research,
Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
Sylvia Ortmann
Christian Schiffmann
Gabi Unterhitzenberger
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics,
Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems,
Nöthnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
Center for Systems Biology Dresden,
Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics,
Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt,
Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
Goethe-University, Faculty of Biosciences,
Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
Michael Hiller
TIB Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology,
Welfengarten 1B, 30167 Hannover, Germany
Lars Vogt
Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig,
Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Peter Grobe