Evolutionary mechanisms in space and time

This area, closely cooperating with the Faculty of Life Sciences, focuses on the diversity of life as a result of change that has occurred in the course of evolution. An essential goal of evolutionary palaeobiology is analysing genetic, functional and morphological change. The major goal is to understand how evolution works. Understanding past patterns and processes is essential for predictions how life will continue in the future.

Questions and methods of palaeobiology and geobiology are combined with those of evolutionary and molecular biology for understanding evolution. The main questions of this key research area are: How does biological diversity evolve? How do mass extinctions and other extrinsic factors shape biodiversity patterns? How can the present-day extinction of species be rated? How and why do organisms adapt to different habitats? Why does the evolutionary speed of species vary? What is the genetic basis for the phenotype of organisms? When, and under what general conditions, have new metabolic pathways developed?

The ultimate goal, therefore, is to gain a better understanding of the evolutionary history of ecosystems and organisms within a hypothesis-based analytical and quantitative framework.