Thomas N. Taylor
Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor
Paleobiology
Curator of Paleobotany - Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center
Courtesy Professor, Department of Geology
Ph.D., University of Illinois
Phone: (785) 864-3625; (785) 864-5501
Fax: (785) 864-5860
Classes Taught
Biol. 802 - The Art of Becoming a Professional Scientist
Biol. 640 - Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants
Biol. 641 - Laboratory in Paleobotany
Awards and Honors
Member - National Academy of Sciences (Elected 1994)
Member - National Science Board (2006-2012)
Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor
Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists
Higuchi Research Achievement Award in the Basic Sciences in Kansas
Distinguished Scholar Award - Ohio State University
Area of Interest and Research
- Paleobiology and paleoecology of Antarctic fossil biotas
- Biology and interactions of fossil fungi
- Symbioses
- Structure and function in fossil plants
- Reproductive biology in early land plants
- Origin and evolution of land plants
- Living and fossil pollen, spores, and cuticle ultrastructure
- Interactions of fossil plants and animals
- Pollen/stigma interactions
- Angiosperm origins
Representative Publications
2011 Oldest fossil basidiomycete clamp connections. Mycoscience. Krings, M., N. Dotzler, J. Galtier, and T.N. Taylor.
2011 The fossil record of the Peronosporomycota (Oomycota). Mycology. Krings, M., T.N. Taylor, and N. Dotzler.
2011. The advantage of thin section preparations over acetate peels in the study of fossil fungi and other microorganisms. PALAIOS. Taylor, T.N., M. Krings, N. Dotzler, and J. Galtier.
2011 Microbial endophytes and pollen chamber contents in a fossil seed from the Upper Pennsylvanian Grand-Croix cherts, France. Geologica et Palaeontologica. Krings, M., J. Galtier, T.N. Taylor, and N. Dotzler.
2011 Macrofossil evidence for pleuromeialean lycophytes from the Triassic of Antarctica. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. Bomfleur, B., M. Krings, E.L. Taylor, and T.N. Taylor.
2010 Galtierella biscalithecae nov. gen. et sp., a Late Pennsylvanian endophytic water mold (Peronosporomycetes) from France. Comptes Rendus Palevol 9: 5-11. (M. Krings, T.N. Taylor, N. Dotzler, and A.-L. Decombeix).
2010 Seed plant diversity in the Triassic of Antarctica: A new anatomically preserved ovule from the Fremouw Formation. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 158: 272-280. (A.-L. Decombeix, S.D. Klavins, E.L. Taylor and T.N. Taylor).
2010 Collinsonites schopfii gen. et sp. nov., a herbaceous lycopsid from the Upper Permian of Antarctica. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 158: 291-297. (A.B. Schwendemann, A.-L. Decombeix, E.L. Taylor, and T.N. Taylor).
2010 Modifications of the transfer technique for studying complex plant structures. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 159: 62-68. (I.H. Escapa, B.J. Axsmith, T.N. Taylor, and E.L. Taylor).
2010 Evolution and relationships of the conifer seed cone Telemachus: Evidence from the Triassic of Antarctica. Intl. J. of Plant Sci. 171: 560-573. (I.H. Escapa, A.-L. Decombeix, E.L. Taylor, and T.N. Taylor).
2010 Additional observations on the enigmatic Permian plant Buriadia and implications on coniferophyte evolution. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 161: 168-178. (R. Serbet, I.H. Escapa, T.N. Taylor, E.L. Taylor, and N.R. Cuneo).
2010 A fossil peronosporomycete oogonium with an unusual surface ornament from the Carboniferous of France. Fungal Biology 114: 446-450. (M. Krings, T.N. Taylor, J. Galtier, and N. Dotzler).
2010 Paleomycology: The re-discovery of the obvious. PALAIOS. 25: 283-286. (T.N. Taylor, and M. Krings).
2010 Modern traits in early Mesozoic sphenophytes: the Equisetum-like cones of Spaciinodum collinsonii with in situ spores and elaters from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica. In: C.T. Gee (Ed.) Life of the Past. The Mesozoic Flora, Indiana University Press. (A. Schwendemann, T.N. Taylor, E.L. Taylor, M. Krings, and J.M. Osborn). (in press)
2010 The Career of Ted Delevoryas: Appreciation and Publications. In: C.T. Gee (Ed.) Life of the Past. The Mesozoic Flora, Indiana University Press. (T.N. Taylor, E.L. Taylor, and C.P. Daghlian). (in press)
2010 An unusual microfungus in a fungal spore from the lower Devonian Rhynie Chert. Palaeont. (M. Krings, N. Dotzler, J.E. Longcore, and T.N. Taylor). (in press)
2010 Fungal endophytes as a driving force in land plant evolution: Evidence from the fossil record. In: D. Southworth (Ed.), Plant Fungal Interactions - Independence between Plants and Fungi. ISUP/John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (M. Krings, T.N. Taylor, and N. Dotzler). (in press)
2010 Microproblematic endophytes and epiphytes of fern pinnules from the Upper Pennsylvanian of France. Geobios. (M. Krings, T.N. Taylor, J. Galtier, and N. Dotzler). (in press)
2010 Epicormic shoots in a Permian gymnosperm from Antarctica. Intl. J. of Plant Sci. (A.-L. Decombeix, E.L. Taylor, and T.N. Taylor). (in press)
2009 TEXTBOOK: “Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants.” Academic Press. T.N. Taylor, E.L. Taylor, and M. Krings, 1230 pp and 2135 figs.
2009 Microfungi from the late Visean (Mississippian) of central France: Chytridiomycota and chytrid-like remains of uncertain affinity. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 156: 319-328. (M. Krings, N. Dotzler, J. Galtier, and T.N. Taylor).
2009 Secondary growth in Vertebraria roots from the Late Permian of Antarctica: A change in developmental timing. Intl. J. of Plant Sci. 170: 644-656. (A.-L. Decombeix, E.L. Taylor, and T.N. Taylor).
2009 Globicultrix nugax nov. gen. et nov. spec. (Chytridiomycota), an intrusive microfungus in fungal spores from the Rhynie chert. Zitteliana A. 48/49: 165-170. (M. Krings, N. Dotzler, and T.N. Taylor).
2009 Morenostrobus, a new substitute name for Morenoa (Del Fueyo, Archangelsky and Taylor 1990, non La Llave et Lexarza 1824). Ameghiniana 46: 215. (G.M. Del Fueyo, S. Archangelsky, and T.N. Taylor).
2009 An enigmatic microorganism from the Upper Pennsylvanian Grand’Croix cherts (Saint-Ètienne basin, France). Zitteliana A 48/49: 171-173/ (M. Krings, T.N. Taylor, and J. Galtier).
2009 Acaulosporoid glomeromycotan spores with a germination shield from the 400-million-year-old Rhynie chert. Mycol. Progress. 8: 9–18 (N. Dotzler, C. Walker, M. Krings, H. Hass, H. Kerp, T.N. Taylor, and R. Agerer).
2009 Endophytic cyanobacteria in a 400-million-yr-old land plant: A scenario for the origin of symbiosis? Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 153: 62–69 (M. Krings, H. Hass, H. Kerp, T.N. Taylor, R. Agerer, and N. Dotzler).
2009 Morphology and Ecology of the Antarcticycas plant. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 153: 108–123. (E.J. Hermsen, E.L. Taylor, and T.N. Taylor).
2009 Seed ferns from the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic: Any angiosperm ancestors lurking there? Amer. J. Bot. 96: 237–251. (E.L. Taylor and T.N. Taylor).
2009 Pollen of the Triassic cycad Delemaya spinulosa and implications of cycad evolution. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 156: 98-103. (A. Schwendemann, T.N. Taylor, and E.L. Taylor).
2009 Combresomyces cornifer from the Triassic of Antarctica: Evolutionary stasis in the Peronosporomycetes. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 154: 1-5. (A.B. Schwendemann, T.N. Taylor, E.L. Taylor, M. Krings, and N. Dotzler).
2009 A Late Pennsylvanian fungal leaf endophyte from Grand-Croix, France. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 156: 449-453. (M. Krings, N. Dotzler, T.N. Taylor, and J. Galtier).
2009 Chytrid-like microfungi in Biscalitheca cf. musata (Zygopteridales) from the Upper Pennsylvanian Grand-Croix cherts (Saint-Etienne Basin, France). Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 157: 309-316. (M. Krings, J. Galtier, T.N. Taylor, and N. Dotzler).
Current and Recent Graduate Students
Andrew B. Schwendemann – current
Carla Harper – current
Juan Massini-Garcia – PhD program at Southern Methodist University
Charlie J. Phipps – State University of New York—Institute of Technology
Brian J. Axsmith – Southern Alabama University
Current and Recent Postdoctoral Fellows
Anna-Laure Decombeix – current
Ignacio Escapa – CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio
Elizabeth J. Hermsen – Cornell University
Sharon D. Klavins – University of Wisconsin, Plattsville
Michael Krings - Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläeontologie und Geologie, Munich, Germany