FOR 2685: The Limits of the Fossil Record: Analytical and Experimental Approaches to Fossilization

First Funding Period, January 2018–July 2021

Group photo of Research Unit FOR 2685 in September 2018

Research Clusters, Projects, and Members of FOR 2685, 2018–2021

Cluster A: Preservation of Mineralized Tissues

A1   Experimental alteration of bones and teeth: Quantification of effects on inorganic and organic compounds — Principal Investigators Thorsten Geisler-Wierwille and Thomas Tütken, Ph.D. student Anna Kral

A2   Organic phase (extracellular matrix, osteocyte, blood vessel) preservation in dinosaur bone: Chemical composition and hypotheses — Principal Investigators P. Martin Sander and Christa Müller, Ph.D. students Kayleigh Weyand and Mariam Tahoun

A3   The organic phase in dinosaur eggshell: Analysis, models of preservation, and implications for the evolution of bird reproduction — Principal Investigators Marianne Engeser and P. Martin Sander, Ph.D. student Anne Schnell, postdoc researcher Dr. Yang Tzu-Ruei

Cluster B: Permineralization of Non-mineralized Tissues

B1   Physicochemical and microbial processes governing the decay of organic substance in sediment under anoxic conditions — Principal Investigator Chris Ballhaus, postdoc researcher Dr. Fabian Gäb

B2   From cell to cell, tissue to tissue: Pathways in low-temperature wood silicification — Principal Investigators Carole T. Gee and Chris Ballhaus, postdoc researchers Dr. Moritz Liesegang and Dr. Shook Ling Low

B3   The impact of bacterial activity on decay and fossilization of arthropods: An experimental approach — Principal Investigators Gabriele Bierbaum and Jes Rust, Ph.D. students Kathrin Janssen and Bastian Mähler

B4   U–Pb systematics of fossilized biogenic tissues as a tracer of long-term diagenetic processes — Principal Investigator Thorsten Geisler-Wierwille, postdoc researcher Dr. Frank Tomaschek

Cluster C: Alteration of Non-mineralized Tissues and Compounds

C1   The detection of antiherbivore secondary compounds in the fossil record and their potential role in defense against insects — Principal Investigators Torsten Wappler and Jes Rust, postdoc researcher Dr. Victoria McCoy and Ph.D. student Madieh Malekhosseini

C2   Soft tissue preservation in amber: A comparative study on the taphonomy and limits of fossilization of resin embedded arthropods — Principal Investigator Jes Rust, Ph.D. student Jonas Barthel

More detailed information on the first funding period can be found at here: http://FOR2685.geisler-wierwille.eu/

Analytical and Imaging Instruments for Understanding Fossilization

Second Funding Period, July 2021–July 2024

Research Clusters, Projects, and Members of FOR 2685, 2021–2024

Cluster A: Preservation of Mineralized Tissues

A4   Fossilization of bone studied in-operando by fluid-cell Raman spectroscopy — Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Thorsten Geisler-Wierwille, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Anna Kral

A5   Organic phase (extracellular matrix, osteocyte, blood vessel, Sharpey’s fiber) in dinosaur bone: Chemical composition and hypotheses of preservation — Principal Investigators Prof. Dr. Martin Sander and Prof. Dr. Christa Müller, Ph.D. students Mariam Tahoun and Kayleigh Weyand

A6   Chemical and mineralogical changes of calcareous shell material during fossilisation processes – an experimental approach —Principal Investigators Prof. Dr. Thomas Tütken and Prof. Dr. Bernd Schöne, Ph.D. student Laura Fink

Cluster B: Permineralization of Non-mineralized Tissues

B5   Experimental studies on the genesis of phosphatized fish fossils in calcareous concretions — Principal Investigator and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Fabian Gäb

Cluster C: Alteration of Non-mineralized Tissues and Compounds

C3   Destruction, decay, and preservation: Early fossilization of leaf compressions — Principal Investigators PD Dr. Carole Gee and Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bierbaum, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Brianne Palmer

C4   The role of microbes and biofilms in leaf fossilization — Principal Investigators Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bierbaum and PD Dr. Carole Gee, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Sabina Karacic

C5   Soft tissue preservation in amber II – a multi-methodical approach towards the understanding of amber taphonomy — Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Jes Rust, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Bastian Mähler

C6   Searching for biological pigments and structural color in fossil plants — Principal Investigators PD Dr. Carole Gee and Prof. Dr. Christa Müller; postdoctoral researcher Dr. Klaus Wolkenstein

Cluster M: Methods and Archives

M1  MALDI imaging and analysis of fossils — Principal Investigator PD Dr. Marianne Engeser, Ph.D. student Marius Herbst

More detailed information on the specific projects can be found at here: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/348043586 

Group photo of Research Unit FOR 2685 at a “hybrid” meeting (in-person and on Zoom) in November 2021

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.  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. Herbst, M. 2021. Establishing MALDI imaging on a variety of samples. M. Sc. thesis in Chemistry, Kekulé-Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn [Project M1]

15. Barthel, H. J.  2022.  Soft tissue preservation in amber — A study on the limits of fossilisation in amber-embedded arthropods. Ph.D. dissertation in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project C2]

16. Janssen, K.  2022.  Der Einfluss bakterieller Aktivität auf die Präservierung und den Abbau von Weichgewebe.  Ph.D. dissertation in Biology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University of Bonn [Project B3]

17. Mähler, B.  2022.  Decay experiments on decapods under different environmental conditions and the influence of bacterial activity with regard to fossilization.  Ph.D. dissertation in Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project B3]

18. Kral, A. G.  2022.  In vitro aqueous alteration experiments on cortical bone – quantification and visualization of effects from the micro – down to the nanoscale. Ph.D. dissertation in Geoscience, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Bonn [Project A1]

19. Hemmerle, M. 2022. Die Extraktion von Kollagen aus Knochen. B.Sc. thesis in Chemistry, Kekulé-Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn [Project M1]

20. Mayrhofer, A. 2022. Quantitative Analyse von Protoporphyrin IX und Biliverdin mittels LC-MS. B.Sc. thesis in Chemistry, Kekulé-Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn [Project A3]

21. Reinecke, C. 2022. Quantitative Bestimmung von Farbpigmenten aus modernen und fossilen Eierschalen mittels LC-MS. B.Sc. thesis in Chemistry, Kekulé-Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn [Project A3]

22. Malekhosseini, M.  ldentification of trace chemical components and structures against herbivory in fossil plant leaves.  Ph.D. dissertation in Geosciences to be completed in 2023, Institute of Geosciences, Division of Paleontology, University of Bonn [Project C1]

Publications of Research Unit FOR 2685, 2018 to 2022

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. 2021. Fossilization of the Eocene "monkeyhair" laticifer tree from Geiseltal, Germany: A deeper understanding enabled by micro CT and pyrolysis GC/MS. Palaios, 36: 1–14.

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.  [Here a blog post on the book: https:////www.press.jhu.edu/news/blog/glorious-colorful-world-fossils]

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.E. 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, and 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: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2021.120196.

31. Kral, A., A. Ziegler, T. Tütken, and T. Geisler-Wierwille.  2021. Experimental aqueous alteration of cortical bone microarchitecture analysed by quantitative micro-computed tomography. Frontiers in Earth Science, abstract available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.609496/abstract. 

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. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/ra/d0ra10688g.

33. McCoy, V.E., H.J. Barthel, A. Boom, E. Peñalver, X. Delclòs, and M.M. Solórzano-Kramer. 2021. Volatile and semi-volatile composition of Cretaceous amber.  Cretaceous Research: 127: 104958.

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. 2021. Dissecting biofilm diversity on water lily leaves through 16S rRNA amplicon analysis: Comparison of four DNA extraction kits.  Applications in Plant Sciences: e11444.

36. Janssen, K., B. Mähler, J. Rust, G. Bierbaum, and V.E. McCoy. 2021. The complex role of microbial metabolic activity in fossilization.  Biological Reviews, doi: 10.1111/brv.12806.

37. McCoy, V.E., C.T. Gee, J.M. Michalski, and O. Wings. 2022. Oldest fossil evidence of latex sabotaging behaviour by herbivorous insects. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 300: 104631.

38. Lönartz, M., V.E. McCoy, C.T. Gee, and T. Geisler. Accepted. Paleoenvironmental conditions for the natural vulcanization of the Eocene “monkeyhair” laticifers from Geiseltal, Germany, as elucidated by Ram spectroscopy. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, accepted in November 2022.

41. Gee, C.T., A. Xie, and J. Zajonz. 2022. Multitrophic plant–insect–fungi interactions across 150 million years: A giant Agathoxylon tree, ancient wood-boring beetles and fungi from the Morrison Formation of NE Utah, and the brood of an extant orchard mason bee.  Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 300: 104627.

42. Jiang, H., F. Tomaschek, A.D. Muscente, C. Niu, T.T. Nyunt, Y. Fang, U. Schmidt, J. Chen, M. Lönartz, B. Mähler, T. Wappler, E.A. Jarzembowski, J. Swedo, H. Zhang, J. Rust, and B. Wang. 2022. Widespread mineralization of soft-bodied insects in Cretaceous amber. Geobiology, http://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12488.

43. Kral, A., T. Tütken, M. Lagos, P. Guagliardo, P., and T. Geisler. 2022. Rapid alteration of cortical bone in fresh- and seawater solutions visualized and quantified from the millimeter down to the atomic scale. Chemical Geology, 609: 121060.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.121060

50. Mähler, B., K. Janssen, M.I. Lönartz, M. Lagos, T. Geisler, J. Rust, J., and G. Bierbaum. In revision.  Time-dependent microbial shifts during crayfish decomposition in freshwater and sediment under different environmental conditions.  Scientific Reports, in revision since November 2022.

51. Howell, M., R. Goßmann, and C. T. Gee.  In press.  A modified, step-by-step procedure for the gentle bleaching of delicate fossil leaf cuticles.  Fossil Imprint, in press since December 2022.  

52. Mähler, B., Schellhorn, R., Schlösser, M., and Schwermann, A. H.  Submitted.  Eiszeitfliegen in Westfalen.  Geologie und Paläontologie in Westfalen.