Outline

Organic matter produced by living organisms throughout the Earth’s history has been partially archived in the geosphere. Particularly, characteristic organic compounds that can be associated with their producer organisms are known as biomarkers; they serve as molecular fossils that can shed light on the evolution and paleodiversity variations of organisms that are not preserved as conventional fossils. I investigate how taxonomic composition, environments, and depositional and post-depositional processes are reflected in the molecular compositions, and use the findings in the application of biomarker-based reconstruction of the history of life and Earth’s environment.