Influence of low latitude ocean gateways on the evolution of marine plankton: A biometric approach

• Applicant: Dr. Hanno Kinkel
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2005 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 20806914

The main focus of this subproject is the influence of closure ocean gateways on the evolution and biogeography of planktic microorganisms (coccolithopohores) and their changing impact on the carbon cycle. Study areas are the Isthmus of Panama and the Indonesian Gateway and their closing history during the Miocene and Pliocene. We aim to apply quantitative biostratigraphic, morphometrical, ecological and geochemical investigations of coccolithophores on high-resolution sediment cores to uncover global links in plankton evolution. Both gateways and their closure or restriction in throughflow had an influence on the evolution of large-scale oceanic provinces with different chemical and physical properties, which should influence the distribution and productivity of planktic organisms that thrive in their adjacent surface water.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Professorin Dr. Priska Schäfer