ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA

Gabriela C. Cusminsky

Ongoing research:

Taxonomic, paleoecological and paleoenvironmental research of Upper Tertiary, Quaternary and modern lacustrine ostracods from Argentina, in particular, Patagonia.
Reproductive strategies in lacustrine ostracods
Systematic and paleoenvironmental interpretation of lacustrine cores from Cari-Laufquen and Cardiel lakes in Patagonia.

Cecilia Laprida

She is working on nonmarine ostracods from the Pampas plain and from the Altiplano of Argentina. The main objective of this research is to reconstruct the palaeohydrological evolution of permanent water bodies during the last millennia, in order to achieve paleoclimatical hypotheses from both areas.
She is studying marine ostracods from the southwestern South Atlantic inner shelf from Holocene cores.

AUSTRALIA

Correspondent: Stephen Eagar

Peter Jones

Peter continued palaeontological research on Ostracoda and other small bivalved arthropods from Australia. A taxonomic note was published in collaboration with Mark Warne (Deakin University) and Louis Kornicker (Smithsonian Institution) on specimens of Polycope from the Miocene of Victoria, hitherto misidentified for 50 years as belonging to the genus Thaumatocypris (Suborder Halocypridina). As a result, it was concluded that Thaumatocypris has not been collected in the Miocene of Australia, and, in a broader biostratigraphic/palaeobiogeographic context, confirmed the absence of records of Halocypridina during the Tertiary Period.
The results of a taxonomic study of bivalved arthropods (Bradoriida and Phosphatocopida) from the early Middle Cambrian of the Georgina Basin, central Australia, with John Laurie (Geoscience Australia) was also published.
A taxonomic note was published in response to the reply by Heinz Malz and Alan Lord. (2004) to my 2003 paper on pathological moult retention in the puzzling ostracod species Ankumia bosqueti van Veen, 1932 (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian, The Netherlands).
He is presently studying the latest Devonian Ostracoda from the Bonaparte Basin, northwestern Australia; their taxonomy and palaozoological links for correlation.

Ivana Karanovic

I have become an Honorary Associate of the University in Hobart, Tasmania.

John Neil

Honorary Research Associate at Latrobe University Bendigo.
Working on microreticulation and its functional and evolutionary significance
Taxonomy of the ostracode assemblages from the Batesford Limestone (Middle Miocene), Batesford, Victoria.

Anna Syme

I am currently working on a post-doc with Todd Oakley at the University of California, Santa Barbara, investigating myodocopid evolution.
I completed my PhD in early 2007, entitled “A systematic revision of the Cylindroleberididae (Crustacea: Ostracoda: Myodocopa)”. It is available online at http://eprints.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00002921/.
I have completed a preliminary interactive key to identifying cylindroleberidid ostracods. It is available at http://researchdata.museum.vic.gov.au/marine/ostracods/InteractiveKey.htm.

Mark Warne

Continues his research on the taxonomy, palaeoecology and biogeography of Australasian fossil and recent ostracods (Cretaceous to Recent).
Involved in studies on the environmental history of southeast Australian estuaries.
Using subfossil ostracod distribution patterns to assess changes in the dispersal of broad salinity, dissolved oxygen, and water circulation regimes through time.

AUSTRIA

Correspondent: Dietmar Keyser

Holger Gebhardt

Ongoing research on the ecostratigraphy of the Austrian Molasse Basin (Oligocene to Miocene).
Information on the scientific collection of the Geological Survey of Austria, including ostracods, and other collections in Austria can be found on the web site: http://www.oeaw.ac.at/oetyp/palhome.htm

Martin Gross

Continues his work on Middle and Upper Miocene ostracods from the Vienna and Styrian Basins. In 2004 he published a rather extensive paper on limnic to brackish water ostracods from the lowermost Upper Miocene (Pannonian). Recently, he is focusing his interest on freshwater ostracods of the upper Middle Miocene (late Sarmatian) and the taxonomic part of his theses about mainly marine Middle Miocene ostracods (Badenian) was published this year.

Wolfgang Mette

My current work is concerned with Permian-Triassic ostracods from the Southern Alps. Besides the taxonomic work, the ostracode research includes palaeoecological aspects and the extinction pattern. A fellowship for a doctoral thesis about this topic has been applied for. Three diploma students are currently starting to work on the sedimentology and micropalaeontology of various Permian-Triassic sections in the dolomites

Benjamin Sames

I recently accepted a temporary position at the Palaeontology Department of the University of Vienna and am still a PhD student at Freie Universitat Berlin. I am about to finish my PhD thesis (supervisors Michael E. Schudack, Berlin and David J. Horne, London) on Early Cretaceous nonmarine ostracods of the U.W. Western Interior and their application to biostratigraphy and palaeoecology. Furthermore, I continue dealing with taxonomy and phylogeny of Jurassic to Early Cretaceous ostracods.

BRAZIL

Correspondent: Joao Carlos Coimbra

Sara C. Ballent

Is continuing her investigations on Mesozoic and Cenozoic marine benthic ostracods from west-central Argentina.
Systematic updating and temporal and palaeogeographic distribution, especially genera and species, with Gondwana distribution (papers with Robin Whatley)
Collaboration with several colleagues (Cecilia Laprida, Analia Diaz, Sonia Fontana) about nonmarine ostracods, mainly concerning their systematics, ecology, and comparisons with extant specimens.

Cristianini Bergue

I am working with Quaternary bathyal ostracodes from the Brazilian margin on both systematics and paleoceanographical applications.

Joao Carlos Coimbra

Research

A long-term project on the taxonomy and zoogeography of Brazilian marine ostracods, with Maria Ines Feijo Ramos
Southwestern Atlantic Quaternary palaeoceanography based on calcareous microfossils (mainly ostracods), stable isotopes and trace elements, with Cristianini Trescastro Bergue, Felipe Toledo, and Candido AV. Moura
Ostracods from the Brazilian oceanic islands (Atol das Rocas, Tridade, and Fernando do Noronha)
Miocene and Pliocene ostracodes and planktonic foraminifers and their applications to palaeoenvironmental and biostratigraphic analysis, Pelotas Basin (southernmost Brazil), with Ana Luisa Carreno
Two PhD students

o Claudia Pinto Machado is studying the taxonomy and zoogeographical significance of the ostracode fauna from the NE shelf of Brazil

o Adriana Leonhardt is working on palaeoceanography (based on calcareous nannofossils) of drill holes from Santos Basin, southern Brazil (co-advised by Felipe Toledo)

· Three M.Sc students

o Demetrio Nicolasidis is working on deep sea ostracods from Late Quaternary cores of the Campos Basin, Brazil (co-advised by Cristianini Trescastro Bergue)

o Pauline di Mari Leopoldi is studying deep sea ostracods from a core localized in the south of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean

o Renata Giacomel is concluding a study on planktonic foraminifers and isotope stratigraphy from the Quaternary of the Santos Basin, Brazil

Dermeval A. Do Carmo

He is the head of the Laboratory of Micropaleontology at the Institute of Geosciences, University of Brasilia, UnB. In 2005, during the 15^th ISO held in Berlin, he was elected the Chairman of the 16^th International Symposium on Ostracoda to be held in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. The symposium in planned to take place in the last week of July 2009.
He is working mainly with nonmarine ostracodes from Brazilian Cretaceous basins.
In 2006, several PhD students finished their thesis:

Fatima Praxedes Rebelo Leite, Miocene paleobiogeography of the western Amazonia, based on palynomorphs.
Silvia Regina Goggo-Rodriguez, Early Cretaceous ostracods from Araripe Basin, co-supervised by Dr. Alexander W. Kellner, Museu Nacional

· In 2007, he is supervising two graduate students:

Claudio Magalhaes de Almeida, PhD student, on Cretaceous/Paleogene ostracods from the Santos Basin, co-supervised by Dr. Gerson Fauth, UNISINOS
Henrique Zimmermann Tomassi, PhD student, on Permian/Triassic ostracods from Parana Basin.

Gerson Fauth

Current research activities include the Cretaceous ostracodes from Brazilian marginal basins and the Antarctic.
Students include:

o Enelise Piovesan, studying the Turonian-Maastrichtian ostracodes from Para Maranhao Basin

o Gislaine Bertoglio, studying the ostracodes from Campanian-Maastrichtian of Pelotas and Santos Basins.

Henrique Zimmermann Tomassi

Ongoing research on ostracods from the Permian-Triassic of the Parana Basin, Brazil.

CANADA

Ursula Grigg

Retired, working at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.
Revising the “Curatorial Report on Ostracods of the Canadian East Coast”.

Rebecca Macdonald

I am a PhD student at the University of Western Ontario in the Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science (LSIS). I am using the oxygen isotope compositions of Late Quaternary and Holocene fossil ostracodes from Lakes Huron and Michigan to examine changes in water sources during early deglacial times, as well as fluctuations in the climate during the past ~10,000 years. My draft thesis title is “Hydrology and climate of Lakes Huron and Michigan during the Late Quaternary and Holocene periods using stable isotope geochemistry.”

Qadeer Siddiqui

Retired, working at the Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University.
Continuing work on Tertiary ostracods of Pakistan.

Finn Viehberg

He holds a Feodor-Lynen Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) to continue his research project on Paleolimnology in the eastern Canadian Arctic using microcrustaceans
The Northern Studies Center Churchill awarded him the Northern Studies Award to support his research studies around Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
On 16-18 November 2006 he hosted the First Canadian Ostracodologist Meeting at the Centre d’Etudes Nordique, University Laval, Quebec, Canada.

EGYPT

Ashraf M. T. Elewa

During the year 2006 I focused my work on one of the distinct phenomena that are affecting biodiversity, it is predation. Several questions arise to mind when we think of this phenomenon; what is behind predation? Why some predators do not benefit from their quarries after killing them? Are there genetic origins of this antagonism between organisms? Why some female organisms kill their males after completion of sex? How can we avoid predation? Answering these questions and more led me to edit my third book with Springer-Verlag on “Predation in Organisms: A Distinct Phenomenon”. Three chapters of this book are dealing with Ostracoda. The website of this book (as well as my other two books) can be accessed through the following link:

http://www.springer.com/west/home/geosciences?SGWID=4-10006-22-173679911-0

FRANCE

Correspondent: Jean-Paul Colin

Bernard Andreu

Activities include:

Upper Cretaceous of Pyrenees, France
Toarcian of Quercy and Grands Causses, south France
Jurassic (Callovian-Oxfordian) of Portugal
Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) of Bulgaria

Jean-Francois Babinot

Retired since 2003.
A paper on ostracodes from the Aptian stratotype of Apt area (Late Bedoulian-Lower Gargasian) will be available in the very near future. Title and publication will be given for the 2007 report.
Main activities concern collections deposited at Marseille University with revision and information of species. Material is mainly of Cretaceous, Neogene, and Recent age. Parts of Deroo’s collection of Campanian to Lower Eocene age (Netherlands, Belgium and partly northern France, Germany, Denmark) have been given and deposited in the new Paleontological Museum of Provence University, Marseille.

Pierre Carbonel

Ostracodes and paleoceanography, mainly in Mediterranean area--western Mediterranean with a core 330 m long sampled at 300 m deep, including about the last 500KY. Also, eastern Mediterranean area, north of the Nile DSF, with cores including the last 800KY. Collaborations with IFREMER, Brest (Program ANR SESAME), GEOAZUR, Nice (Program FANIL).
Ostracodes and recent evolution of the coasts, particularly, impact of anthropisation (Roman harbours between Roma and Naples) (collaboration with ARCHAEORIENT, Lyon, CEREGE, Aix en Provence), Paleolithic presence along the coastline in southern Morocco (collected with University of Perpignan), pre-Columbian occupation in West Indies and occurrence and impact of hurricanes (St. Martin). In this last study, we use the isotopic data (d¹⁸O and d¹³C) analyzed on the ostracodes (Cyprideis and Perissocytheridea).
Calibration of the ostracodes (coll. With J.-Ch. Massabuau and L. Corbari).
Neogene marine and nonmarine ostracodes from Aquitaine Basin and Morocco (collected with J.-P. Colin and D. Nachite).
Morphology of the ostracodes in collaboration with D. Danielopol.
Thesis supervision: Chahira Zaibi (University of Sfax, Tunisia) for the evolution of the lagoons along the Gulf of Gabes between Sfax and Oued Akarit, Tunisia.

Jean-Paul Colin

Associate editor (ostracode papers) for the Revue de Micropaleontologie
Vice-President Reserve Naturelle geologique de Saucats-La Brede (Aquitanian and Burdigalian stratotypes)
Upper Cretaceous ostracodes of India with B. Andreu
Recent lacustrine ostracodes of Wallis and Futuna with C. Meisch and N. Mary
Upper Jurassic ostracodes from Lebanon with J. Dejax
Revision of Cretaceous conchoecids with L. Kornicker
Nonmarine Upper Jurassic ostracodes of the Ile d’Oleron, SW France

Sylvie Crasquin-Soleau

I supervise two PhDs. The first one is on the Late Permian ostracods from deep environments from South China by Yuan Aihua (Wuhan University, China), and the second one on the Permian ostracods from central Thailand by Anisong Chitnarin (Korat University, Thailand).
All my personal research in 2006-2007 is focused on Permian-Triassic boundary ostracods. I mainly worked in South China in collaboration with Wuhan University. I am working on the ostracods of the Permian-Triassic stratotype in Meishan. The systematic revision is nearly finished. At the same time, I studied the ostracods of the parastratotype in Bulla section (Italy). The paper is in progress.
In collaboration with organic geochemistry and sedimentology (Steve Kershaw from Uxbridge University), we analysed the problem of anoxia (or not) associated with the microbialites during the earliest Triassic.
I proposed a first outline for the turnover of the Paleozoic-Mesozoic ostracods.

Claude Guernet

Distribution of ostracodes in the Lutetian of Grignon (Paris Basin) Systematics and ecology (in collaboration with geochemists from the University P. and M. Curie and with paleontologists of the Museum National d’Histoires Naturelles from Paris
Research topics in 2006-2007 include Oligocene, Neogene and Quaternary of the Mediterranean area.

Pierre Marmonier

Activities in 2006:

Addendum to the description of Marococandona Marmonier, Boulal and Idbennacer; the type species of the genus is Marococandona danielopoli.
Description of the stygobiotic crustacean Dolekiella europaea (Ostracoda, Limnocytheridae) from southern France. A collaboration with G. Zsolt (Hungary), M. Arteau, J.P. Colin (France) and D.L. Danielopol (Austria), accepted for publication in Vie Mileu.
Strategy for the protection of rare subterranean ostracods. We used the example of two species from southern France. Collaboration with D.L. Danielopol (Austria) and M. Artheau (France) was accepted for publication in Freshwater Biology.

Vincent Perrier

I defended my PhD several weeks ago: Vincent Perrier, Biodiversity and ecological significance of the myodocopid ostracods (Crustacea) from the Upper Silurian of Europe. University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France, 04/04/2007. Supervisors: Jean Vannier and David Siveter. Jury: Sylvie Crasquin-Soleau, Ewa Olempska, Christian Gaillard, and Catherine Girard.

GERMANY

Correspondent: Dietmar Keyser

Simone Nunes-Brandao

She is finishing her dissertation on the deep sea ostracods in the Antarctic Ocean. She is combining the molecular with the conservative taxonomy. This way she can show that the biodiversity in the Antarctic deep Sea is higher than expected.

Claudia Dojen

Ostracodes from the Silurian-Devonian boundary in SE Anatolia (Turkey)
Lockkovian ostracodes from the Spanish Pyrenees
Planned project: September-December, 2007 at the University of California, Riverside, to study Early Devonian ostracodes from Nevada.
Two papers will be submitted within the next few weeks:

Dojen, C., New data on Ostracoda and Early Devonian palaeobiogeography: Bulletin de la Society geologique de France, Special Issue, Contributions to the First International Palaeobiogeography Symposium, Paris, July 2007.
Dojen, C. and Ahlers, C., Spezialkartierung der mulde am Glockenberg (Ober-Harz, Mittel und Ober-Devon) mit Mikrofossilien (Conodonten, Ostrakoden, Dacryoconariden, Homocteniden). [Special mapping of the Glockenberg-Synform in the NW Harz Mountains (Middle and late Devonian) with microfossils (conodonts, ostracodes, dacryoconarids, homoctenids]: Zeitschrift Deutsche Geologische Gesellschaft.

Peter Frenzel

I am finishing my Habilitation thesis on Recent and Holocene ostracods and foraminifers from the Baltic Sea and their use as bioindicators. The focus lies on ecology and taxonomy as well as on applications in Quaternary geology, archaeology, and biological monitoring.
An atlas of Baltic Sea ostracods species is in preparation, together with Dietmar Keyser.
Finn Viehberg and I are working together on an ecological review, including an ostracod-based transfer function for salinity.
After moving from Rostock University to Jena University in Thuringia in 2005, I started a new program concerning ostracods and foraminifers in saline waters of central Germany
I am preparing a project on Recent and Quaternary ostracods of the Tibetan Plateau.

Eugen Karl Kempf

On the first days of October 2006, the second index from level 2 (stratigraphy) of the Kempf Database Ostracoda could be published on CD-ROM with the title Recent Nonmarine Ostracoda of the World. This Index D covers nearly all modern species, described either as living or dead (if only the shells had been found or documented). Thus, with more than 27,500 datasets, a unique instrument of reference became available.
At present, my work is concentrating on the second set of supplements to the hitherto published indices and bibliographies, forming parts 11-15 of the series Index and Bibliography of Nonmarine Ostracoda as well as Index and Bibliography of Marine Ostracoda. I am trying to publish a 2007 edition on CD-ROM later this year.

Dietmar Keyser

Dietmar continues his research on the ecology and morphology of recent ostracods. After the near completion of the subrecent ostracods of the Aral Sea, he is now trying to evaluate the influence of pollution and changing environment on the distribution of ostracods in the Baltic Sea, together with P. Frenzel, B. Scharf and N. Aladin. He also continues the work on the calcification of the ostracod carapace.

Alan Lord

Several projects on Lower Jurassic Ostracoda
Holocene of Portugal
Pleistocene/Holocene of Denmark and southern Sweden

Friedrich Luppold

My current research on ostracods is to generate a biostratigraphic zonation from the Lower Cretaceous of the Lower Saxony basin. I am also investigating some wells of middle-upper Albian age from the city of Hannover. There are some activities for correlation with other wells in the Hannover region. Jurassic activities are restricted to temporary sections of highway construction sites. There are some very interesting glendonite horizons, which are discovered for the first time at this latitude. Stable isotope investigations on special ostracod specie, sediments, belemnites, and glendonites are in preparation.

Renate Matzke-Karasz

Ongoing research includes:

Reproduction biology of freshwater ostracods
Spermatology and investigation of sperm-egg interactions in freshwater ostracods
Additional appendages in giant African freshwater ostracods (together with Koen Martens)
Taxonomy and micromorphology of freshwater ostracods
Palaeoecology of ostracods
One of the partners of the EU Marie Curie Research and Training Network ‘SexAsex’. Anthropologist and chromosome specialist Dr. Stefan Muller and Renate form the Munich post of the network, responsible for karyological, histological and spermatological research on Eucypris virens, our model organism. Within this frame, Radka Symonova (Prague) is doing her PhD here in Munich.

Steffen Mischke

I collected surface sediment samples from more than 180 lakes on the Tibetan Plateau in the last few years and established an ostracod-based transfer function to infer electrical conductivities as an indicator of past salinities.
In another project, I tried to explore the degree and effects of lake contamination on the ostracod assemblages as a result of oil pumping in China’s largest oil field.
I investigated Middle Pleistocene lake sediments in the Qaidam Basin which indicate the existence of a large lake in a presently dry desert environment and hope to receive some more detailed dating to learn more about the timing of lake evolution.
I applied for funding for a project to couple existing ice core records from the Tibetan Plateau with nearby lake records, with the aim to achieve a better understanding of the ice core and lake sediment proxies and to improve the ice core chronologies through a correlation of both records.
I applied for funds to use ostracods as indicators of past moisture availability in the Near East region.
In 2008 I will work at the Limnological Research Center of the University of Minnesota (Professor Emi Ito) as visiting scientist for twelve months, funded by the German Research council. I will study ostracod samples from central Mongolian lakes with the aim to build an ostracod-based transfer function for Mongolia and northern China after ostracod data from our samples are merged with those from samples collected by Emi Ito and Koen Martens in western Mongolia.

Roger Schallreuter

Current activities of Roger are the study of Late Ordovician ostracodes from Sardinia and Ordovician ostracode palaeobiogeography of Gondwana.

Burkhard Scharf

Werner Hollwedel and I have finished and published a faunistic work on the cladocerans and freshwater ostracods of Lake Zwischenahner Meer.

Michael Schudack

Research:

Research projects on the Lower and Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of various areas in Europe and North America
Main focus on biostratigraphy, paleoecology, biogeography, paleoclimatology, and stable isotope shell geochemistry
Secretary of the International Research Group on Ostracoda (IRGO) for the period of 2005-2009
Maintains webpages of IRGO at http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/%7Epalaeont/irgo/irgohome.html

Thesis supervision:

Early Cretaceous ostracods from the Rocky Mountains, USA (Benjamin Sames)
Biogeography and database of Early Cretaceous nonmarine Ostracoda, as exemplified for selected European basins (Kerstin Zobel)
Ostracod biostratigraphy and microfacies of the Nordsteimke Member (Kimmeridgian, Upper Jurassic) near Wolfsburg, Germany (Nadine Siegling)
Microbiostratigraphy (Foraminifera and Ostracoda) of the Lower Jurassic from Gross Schoenebeck borehole, Brandenburg, Germany (Karoline Fischer)

New research projects:

Palaeobiogeography of marine Early Cretaceous Cytheroidea (Ostracoda) on both sides of the opening of the North Atlantic (North American, Western Europe)
Geochemistry of late Quaternary ostracods from lakes on the Tibetan Plateau (under the frame of a new DFG priority program about the climate on the Tibetan Plateau)

Henning Uffenorde

Henning is engaged as an official volunteer at the Museum of the Geoscience Centre, University of Goettingen, after a pause due to various health problems. During 2006 he continued his work on the published part of the ostracode collection of Lienenklaus (1894-1900). Since June 2006 he was called in the scientific project concerning the drill site Wallau B98-BK5 (Early Oligocene, southern Hesse) in collaboration with Dr. G. Radtke, HLUG, Wiesbaden, and Prof. E. Martini, Frankfurt.

IRAQ

Sanad A. Al-Khashab (