Diversity, paleobiology and evolutionary history of sea urchins in the Paleozoic

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jes Rust
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 570571521

Sea urchins (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) are an important and well-studied group of marine organisms in Mesozoic and Cenozoic ecosystems, but much less is known about Paleozoic representatives due to their limited potential for fossilization. Previous studies have focused largely on systematic descriptions, with little attention paid to paleobiology or diversity trends through the Paleozoic. Previous work on echinoid fossils from the Upper Devonian of Germany has established a possible link between major evolutionary trends in echinoids and the global changes associated with the Late Devonian extinction events. In the course of the proposed project, hundreds of well-preserved fossils that have remained undescribed for decades, primarily from Devonian and Mississippian deposits of the Rhenish Massif, will be examined using modern methods such as digital and scanning-electron microscopy and micro-CT scans. This will help to close major gaps in the known fossil record and result in formal description of multiple new species and major revisions to the family-level classification of Paleozoic echinoids. Further, a detailed analysis of the functional morphology of all groups of Paleozoic echinoids, with particular emphasis on lantern and teeth, will be used in combination with data on habitat preference to derive well-founded hypotheses on life mode. Datasets of Paleozoic echinoid species, specimens and faunas will be analyzed with modern statistical methods to assess diversity trends throughout the Palaeozoic and to test possible links to global extinction events.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. Jeffrey R. Thompson