Queen Mary University
60 Philpot St, London E1 2DP
UK
Fossil ostracod shells provide a rich record of their evolution as well as the environmental and climatic change witnessed by these tiny crustaceans which today inhabit oceans, seas, estuaries, lagoons, lakes, rivers, ponds and springs. This lecture will highlight four case studies from the ostracod archive: Palaeozoic oceans and climate; Mesozoic lakes, temporary ponds and dinosaurs; Mesozoic oceans in a greenhouse world; and the Pleistocene expansion of early humans into NW Europe. Each provides opportunities to explore the benefits of international, interdisciplinary scientific collaboration as well as the challenges of applying a uniformitarian, palaeobiological approach to the interpretation of fossil ostracod assemblages.
The lecture will be followed by a free drinks reception.