Projects

La Colonia Formation, Patagonia, Argentina


Current research projects


 Fruit & seed flora of the Gray Fossil Site: I am currently working on the fossil fruit and seed flora from the Gray Fossil Site of eastern Tennessee. This project is currently supported by an NSF grant (NSF DEB 1829376 to E.J. Hermsen).

 Systematic revision of fossil water ferns (ferns in the order Salviniales): The water ferns are thought to have a fossil record extending back to the Mesozoic Era. However, our understanding of this record has long been hampered by misidentification and lack of documentation of fossil water ferns. In this project, I am reviewing the fossil record of these ferns with the intent of providing an update to our current knowledge based on examination of key specimens. Some of this research intersects with the Patagonian Paleofloras project.

Patagonian Paleofloras project, collaborating: In this project, I am participating in describing angiosperm reproductive structures from the Eocene Laguna del Hunco flora and ferns from the Late Cretaceous La Colonia Formation flora, Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina.

Current outreach projects

Digital Encyclopedia of Ancient Life: This is an online, open-access textbook under development. I am currently working on the chapter covering the land plants, and have contributed to the already released chapter on systematics. My participation in this project is currently supported by NSF grant DEB 1829376, as part of its broader impacts.

Earth@Home: Here on Earth: This is an online, open-access website that covers the Earth Science of the United States by region. The project repurposes text and some images from the Teacher-Friendly Guide to Earth Science series published by the Paleontological Institution, updating the original content with many new images and maps, in some cases, revised text. 

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DEAL at the GSA Annual Meeting, Indianapolis

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Image of a chambered nautilus by J.R. Hendricks from DEAL A presentation on the Digital Encyclopedia of Ancient Life (DEAL) was given at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, by Dr. Jonathan R. Hendricks. The DEAL continues to expand, with a new chapter on cephalopods recently released! Work on the land plant chapter has commenced, although none of the plant pages are available yet. Stay tuned for updates. Abstract:  Hendricks, J.R.,  E.J. Hermsen , and E. Hauf. 2018. The Digital Encyclopedia of Ancient Life (DEAL): An open access paleontology textbook. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana (talk). doi:10.1130/abs/2018AM-318607.  LINK Related links: DEAL main page DEAL Cephalopoda chapter by J.R. Hendricks Virtual teaching collection on Sketchfab  (models by E. Hauf)
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DEAL: Fruit & seed dispersal

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Modern and fossil fruits of golden raintree ( Koelreuteria ). Credits: Modern fruits (E.J. Hermsen); fossil fruit (National Park Service) I have posted a new page on Digital Encyclopedia of Ancient Life (DEAL): Fruit & seed dispersal. You can find it here:  https://www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org/learn/embryophytes/angiosperms/dispersal/
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Midcontinent Paleobotanical Colloquium-2022

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  I attended the Midcontinent Paleobotanical Colloquium at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Virginia from May 6th to 7th to present the talk "Seeds of Passiflora  subgenus Decaloba  from the early Pliocene Gray Fossil Site of Tennessee." 
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