BSc projects

Department of Geology & Palaeontology

Growing big: geographic variation in evolutionary dynamics. 

Larger, symbiont-bearing foraminifera (LBF) are the largest free-living unicellular organisms. Their calcite test, abundance  and widespread occurrence in tropical shallow water deposits make them ideal study organisms for studies of evolutionary dynamics. During the Eocene tropical conditions reached as far north as the Paris Basin, including Belgium and southern England. Following recovery from the Cretaceous-Paleocene extinction event, several families show a rapid evolution that can be observed in morphological features. Evolutionary patterns differ between families and with time. For example, the oldest Nummulites species have been observed in the late Paleocene, but only become diverse within the Early Eocene. Assilina is also present in the late Paleocene, but, in contrast to Nummulites, does not diversify and is represented by only 1-2 lineages and at most 3-4 per time slice throughout the Early-Middle Eocene. In both genera the general trend within evolutionary lineages is an increase in the diameter of the initial chamber. In this project it is aimed to quantify multiple morphological characters in the evolution of Nummulites and Assilina.

The main questions are: 

• Is there a difference in mechanism between a species rich, and a species poor genus?
• Can this pattern be deconstructed into lineages, areas and habitat components?
• Is it possible to detect differences between trends in very diverse areas and less diverse areas?

• Komt de uit Engeland bekende zaadvaren Neuropteris osmundae ook in het Karboon van Nederland voor? (2-3 maanden; begeleiding Prof. Dr. J.H.A. van Konijnenburg-van Cittert [Naturalis] of R.W.J.M. van der Ham [NHN-Leiden])
• Determineren van het Boven Devoon materiaal van Bereneiland, en wel speciaal materiaal van het genus Archaeopteris (een pro-gymnosperm) en van Pseudobornia ursina (een vroege paardenstaart). (3 maanden; begeleiding Prof. Dr. J.H.A. van Konijnenburg-van Cittert)
• Bekijken van het Midden Devoon materiaal uit Elberfeld in Duitsland met de volgende genera: Asteroxylon en Duisbergia als mogelijke vroege wolfsklauwachtigen, Hyenia en Calamophyton als voorlopers van paardenstaarten, en Aneurophyton als vroegste pro-
•  gymnosperm. (2-3 maanden; begeleiding Prof. Dr. J.H.A. van Konijnenburg-van Cittert)

Department of Marine Zoology 

3 month internships available at the National Museum of Natural History – Naturalis with Drs. Lisa Becking and Dr. Nicole de Voogd

• Cichliden als prooi van de Nijlbaars
• Invloed van predatie door de Nijlbaars op de vorm van cichliden  (zie ook artikel "An extreme makeover" in BBC Wildlife)
• Invloed van dieet op kaken en mondholte van cichliden
• Invloed van een veranderend dieet op de keelkaken van de karperachtige Rastrineobola argentea