Wissenschaftskolloquium

10.11.
What Remains: Understanding the Mechanisms of Fossilisation through the Lens of Soft Tissue Preservation
Dr. Orla Bath Enright, Naturkundemuseum Stuttgart

Fossils offer glimpses into ancient life. They represent a halt to the destructive process of decay that ordinarily recycles all organic matter back into Earth's systems. The preservation of biological material is the exception, not the rule, and these exceptions are essential for reconstructing Earth’s past ecosystems. My work focuses on understanding the processes that mediate decay and preservation, especially in soft tissues and the most labile organisms. In particular, I investigate Konservat-Lagerstätten (fossil sites with rarely preserved biological information), which provide our most complete records of ancient biodiversity. In this talk, I will highlight research from two very different environments: The Upper Jurassic Nusplingen Plattenkalk and the Middle Triassic Grès à Voltzia. Despite stark differences in their depositional histories, both sites exhibit cellular and subcellular biological structures (Figure A-C). I will explore how microbial activity and sediment dynamics interact, through biofilm formation and rapid mineral precipitation, to enable this exceptional preservation (Figure D-F). By elucidating the mechanisms involved in fossilisation, we not only improve our understanding of how and why fossils form, but also ensure that our reconstructions of ancient life rest on a robust framework for assessing the biological fidelity and biogenicity of the fossil record.

As usual, we will also broadcast via zoom for those who can not join in person: https://zoom.us/j/94510498226

Zum Online-Vortrag