What does our research in this field focus on?
In our research, we work with fossil vertebrates from a variety of Mesozoic ecosystems (252–66 million years before present), mainly representing terrestrial but also marine fauns. Past and ongoing projects involve the Late Jurassic of central Europe (the marine Plattenkalk biota of Germany), the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous of China (the Junggar Basin and the Jehol biota), as well as the Late Cretaceous of Eastern Europe (western Romania and eastern Hungary). In addition to studying individual faunas from different times and places, we try to link these insights to reconstruct the evolution of Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems in general, as well as the morphological evolution of certain reptile groups (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodyliforms, turtles).
Which key methods or approaches do we commonly use?
In order to study extinct vertebrates, we employ very different methods. These include classical osteological descriptions and comparisons of fossil vertebrates to clarify their taxonomy, as well as cladistics to reconstruct their phylogeny. This classical approach is complimented by the use of modern technology (µCT-scan imaging, 3D printing) and quantitative approaches (geometric morphometrics). Moreover, the analysis of bioerosion on bones (mostly feeding traces and bite marks using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy), as well as the analysis of the chemical composition of bones and teeth (stable isotope geochemistry using mass spectrometry), is used to reconstruct the ecology of fossil vertebrates and the trophic interactions among different animals of a given ecosystem.
What is our main contribution to this research field?
One of our main contributions to this research field is describing and re-evaluating the diversity of select past ecosystems, for which a firm understanding of the taxonomy is crucial. This includes (but is not limited to) the description of species new to science (e.g., the dinosaur Transylvanosaurus platycephalus and the turtle Dortoka vremiri from the Late Cretaceous of Romania, the crocodylian Alligator munensis from the Quaternary of Thailand and the turtle Xiaochelys ningchengensis from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of eastern China). Another main contribution is to arrive at a better understanding of the palaeoecology of individual animals and entire ecosystems, e.g., reconstructing the decomposition of carcasses in the Late Cretaceous of Romania, or describing a feeding place of large carnivorous theropods from the Late Jurassic of China. Finally, our work on phylogenetic relationships of various groups of dinosaurs, crocodyliforms and turtles lead to a better understanding of the evolution of the respective groups throughout their fossil record.
