A window into the past: arachnids in amber

Arachnids from different amber deposits are analyzed in a joined project with the arachnology department. CeNak houses a unique collection of arachnids preserved in Baltic and Bitterfeld amber. Baltic amber is probably older than 45 million years, while the age of Bitterfeld amber is still a matter of debate. The Departments Arachnology and Paleontology at CeNak aim at a better understanding of the arachnid diversity of the past. Morphological characteristics of the arachnids are analyzed via modern reconstruction methods, and fossil faunas are compared with the present-day arachnid fauna in Europe to identify ecosystem and climate change. So-called syninclusions inside the amber pieces (e.g. insects and pollen grains) are used as additional indicators for such changes.