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The extensive fossil record of horses and horse domestication with horses of different sizes living across the world offer a rich subject to trace changes in brain size and gross anatomy across different time scales and the potential mechanisms behind such changes. This project contemplates working with non-invasive images of horse brains obtained by our previous research on island horses and of diverse fossils in order to quantify patterns of evolutionary transformations at different scales. It is a project appropriate to those interested in working with 3D imaging, morphometrics and analyses of morphological evolution.
Within evolutionary research, palaeontology uniquely allows for the study of (1) evolution in its ecological context (palaeo-ecology) and (2) the long-term fate of species and higher-rank taxa through geologic time (macroevolution). I am flexible in offering topics for master theses in both areas. Typically, palaeo-ecological studies will be based on own fieldwork, whereas studies in macroevolution make use of literature data and museum collections. Do not hesitate to contact me if you are interested in contributing to our understanding on how life on Earth evolved from a palaeontological perspective!
Palynology is the study of microscopic resistant-walled fossils of various plants, animals and protists. It offers a wide range of interesting master's theses.
The analysis of spore and pollen associations through time allows for reconstruction of past vegetation composition and terrestrial ecosystem dynamics but also to detect evolutionary pathways in plants. Spore-pollen analyses are also used as valuable climate proxy.
Palynofacies analysis includes not only palynomorphs, such as spores and pollen grains, but also palynodebris such as wood particles, cuticles, algae, etc. thus describing the entire assemblages of particulate organic matter. Thus, palynofacies describes the depositional environment of the studied sample and is often used for basin analysis (e.g. sea-level changes, petroleum exploration).
Please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Elke Schneebeli for further information.
Mysidioptera ist eine Gattung der Feilenmuscheln (Limidae), die in der Mittel- und frühen Obertrias innerhalb relativ kurzer Zeit extrem schnell diversifizierte (über 100 beschriebene Arten), aber gegen Ende der Trias wieder ausstarb. Dieses Muster steht im Gegensatz zur etwa zeitgleich entstandenen Gattung Plagiostoma aus der gleichen Familie, die niemals eine so grosse Diversität wie Mysidioptera erreichte, dafür aber wesentlich langlebiger war und erst in die Kreide ausstarb. Die beiden nah verwandten und ökologisch vergleichbaren Gattungen stehen damit stellvertretend für zwei sehr unterschiedliche Diversitäts-Dynamiken: "boom and bust" Dynamik (Mysidioptera) versus Gleichgewichtsdynamik (Plagiostoma). In der Masterarbeit sollen die Diversitäts-Dynamiken der beiden Gattungen in der Trias auf Grundlage von Literaturstudium und Sammlungsmaterial rekonstruiert werden und Gründe für die unterschiedlichen Speziations- und Aussterbe-Dynamik erschlossen werden. Aus dieser Fallstudie werden allgemeine Erkenntnisse über die Steuerungsfaktoren von unterschiedlichen Diversitäts-Dynamiken erwartet, die sich auf andere Gruppen übertragen lassen.
The periotic bone of dolphins is a highly derived structure that houses the inner ear and involves sound reception. It has been proven that their shape is, besides phylogenetically-informative, related to environmental factors. This project uses a set of 3D models of inner ears belonging to several species and compares it to a global sample to infer hearing types and thus learn about their ecology. These assessments will help untangle the trophic networks in this region during the late Miocene (about 8 million years ago).
Following the largest mass extinction of the end-Permian, ammonoid diversity first peaked during the early Smithian, ca 1 Myr after the extinction event. The main lines of the Salt Range (Pakistan) and Spiti (Indian Himalaya) Smithian records have been recently established. However, the analysis of new samples from this critical time interval of the biotic recovery is needed for a better resolved estimation of species richness and improved understanding of the phylogenetic relationships that led this first diversity explosion. This MSc work will be conducted in conjunction with other PhDs and MScs addressing complementary aspects of the Early Triassic biotic recovery.
The ornamentation of bivalves, which includes all external morphological features of the shell such as ribs, knots or spines, is often an adaptation to particular functions. It may support burrowing in soft or hard substratum, strengthen the rigidity of the shell in the face of high water energy, enable weight reduction, or help defending the animal against predators. Trends in the relative frequencies of different types of ornamentation over geologic times are therefore expected to reflect changes in the ecological regime (such as the evolution of competitors and predators), changes of the physical environment, or evolutionary innovations related to the occupation of new niches. The project aims at analyzing evolutionary trends in the ornamentation of bivalve shells in this context. It will consist of three main steps: (1) defining different categories of shell ornamentation; (2) documenting relative frequencies of these categories in bivalve genera from the Cambrian to the Recent, based on the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology and primary literature, and (3) analyzing the dataset with respect to potential driving forces. As such, the project results will add to our understanding of macroecological trends in a major class of marine invertebrates.
Using state-of-the-art non-invasive imaging and morphospace quantification methods, the goal is the characterize the morphological diversification of some fish domestic species in the evolutionary context of their group. Morphologcail novelties have arisen due to artificial selection for ornamental traits, and we will explore how these relate to the evolvability of such traits in macroevolution. It is a project appropriate to those interested in working with 3D imaging, morphometrics and analyses of morphological evolution.
In the research group "Evolutionary Morphology and Paleobiology" (Prof. Sánchez, Prof. Dr. Scheyer and colleagues) we offer different master thesis topics. We mainly deal with different aspects of vertebrate evolution and developmental biology. Our facilities include a wet lab for tissue science, morphometrics studies and similar ontogenetic studies, and a paleohistology lab where we study the structure and evolution of fossil hard tissues.
On the Lab website www.msanchezlab.net you can find a list of our current research topics and information about topics for master theses in our group. There you can also learn more about all members of the group, their research interests and publications.
Please contact Prof. Sánchez or Prof. Dr. Scheyer for further details.
Mammoths are iconic mammals associated with the ice ages. With a wide distribution in Europe during the Pleistocene, their fossil record is well known and taxonomic and paleobiological aspects of different species have been extensively studied. However, the knowledge of mammoth calves is poorly known, with a few exceptions of specimens preserved in Siberian permafrost. This project contemplates the study of the osteological remains of a baby mammoth from Pleistocene of the Canton Zurich. It is a project appropriate to those interested in working on comparative anatomy, histological analyses, morphometric analysis and 3D imaging, that will offer new lights on the paleobiology of newborn mammoths.
Am Übergang von der Trias in den Jura fand eines der fünf grössten Massenaussterbe-Ereignisse der Erdgeschichte statt. Im Gegensatz zu anderen Massenaussterbe-Ereignissen konnte sich jedoch die benthische Lebewelt sehr schnell wieder erholen. Die post-extinction-Faunen des Unterjura sind daher deutlich diverser und ökologisch heterogener als solche nach anderen Aussterbe-Ereignissen. In dem Projekt soll erstmals eine moderne ökologische Analyse benthischer Faunengemeinschaften aus dem basalen Unterjura Mitteleuropas durchgeführt werden. Dazu sind Neuaufsammlungen geplant, die mit der Auswertung von Sammlungsmaterial kombiniert werden sollen. Im Ergebnis sollen die post-extinction Faunen des Unterjura paläo-ökologisch charakterisiert und mit ähnlichen Faunengemeinschaften aus der Zeit nach dem endpermischen Massenaussterben verglichen werden. Unterschiede zwischen diesen Faunengemeinschaften sollen herausgearbeitet werden mit dem Ziel, ein generelles konzeptionelles Verständnis für die ökologischen Prozesse zu entwickeln, die im Anschluss an globale Umweltkatastrophen wirksam sind.
The Neogene sedimentary sequence in the Urumaco region, Western Venezuela (South Caribbean), is well known by its diverse continental and aquatic fauna from the middle Miocene-early Pliocene, providing unequivocal evidence of a large river system that flowed from far south in western Amazonia into the Caribbean. This project contemplates the study of marine and continental vertebrate remains, from ancient marine environments associated with freshwater inputs. This is a project suitable for those interested in paleodiversity, taxonomy and paleoecology, as well as fieldwork in the neotropics.
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Genuine carbon and oxygen isotopic values are preserved in the aragonitic shells of Jurassic and Cretaceous ammonoids. The aim of this work is to (i): test for any vital effect that could influence measured values; (ii): map isotopic values on the outer shell as well as septa; (iii): characterize oceanographic/climatic variations recorded throughout growth and (iv): reconstruct how much time elapsed during growth for different morphological variants from the same sample.
Methods of virtual palaeontology become increasingly important and more widely applied. For this Master-thesis, it is planned that the candidate will segment existing micro-CT image-stacks of Devonian invertebrates (arthropods, molluscs or else) in order to obtain good images of the fossils. These images will then be used to determine and describe the material and in some cases, new species can be described based on these materials. If time permits, constructional morphology as well as aspects of the animal's phylogeny can be studied as well.
