The Research Group on the Mesozoic Terrestrial Biotas

　　The Research Group on the Permo-Carboniferous Floras led by Prof. WANG Jun mainly focuses on studies of the Carboniferous and Permian fossil plants and their ecology through multidisciplinary approach, including palaeobotany, taphonomy, stratigraphy, sedimentology, and palaeoclimatology. 

　　The group currently consists of 2 research professors, 1 associate research professor, 2 assistant research professors, and 5 graduate students. Each member of the group has his/her own specified research area. Tens of Carboniferous and Permian fossil sites have been excavated, yielding thousands of well-preserved fossil plants. The following 5 topics are main research themes of the group: 1) Reconstruction of the Permian “coal forest” buried by a volcanic ash fall with a high resolution from Inner Mongolia; 2) Systematic palaeobotany, utilizing materials such as impressions, compression specimens with cuticles, and permineralized woods; 3) Regional and global biotic response to the environmental and climatic changes during this time interval, i.e., the transition from an icehouse world to a greenhouse world; 4) Interactions between plants and other organisms/environments (plant-animal interactions, plant-fungus associations, wildfires); 5) Formative mechanism of mixed floras in northern China, including Cathaysia-Angara mixed flora, and Cathaysia-Euramerica mixed flora. 

　　Recent projects of the group funded by NSFC and CAS include studies on the Permo-Carboniferous floras and stratigraphy in northern China. During the past 5 years, the group has published more than 40 papers in international journals, such as, PNAS, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, and Palaeogeography, Palaeoecology, Palaeoclimatology.