Rudolph Serbet

Rudolph Serbet

Collection Manager
785.864.3410
Haworth Hall
Publications: 

Serbet R and RA Stockey. 1990. Taxodiaceous pollen cones from the Upper Cretaceous (Horseshoe Canyon Formation) of Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 70: 67-76.

Rothwell GW and R Serbet. 1992. Pollination Biology of Elkinsia polymorpha, Implications for the Origin of Gymnosperms. Pages 225-231 in F. Schaarschmidt, ed. Special issue: International symposium on palaeobotany: anatomical investigations of fossil plants.  Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg. 147: 225-231.

Serbet R and GW Rothwell. 1992. Characterizing the most primitive seed ferns: I. A reconstruction of Elkinsia polymorpha. International Journal of Plant Biology. 153(4): 602-621.

Rothwell GW and R Serbet. 1994. Lignophyte analysis and the evolution of spermatophytes; A numerical cladistic analysis.  Systematic Botany. 19(3): 443-482.

Serbet R and GW Rothwell. 1995. Functional morphology of gymnospermous ovules: Evidence from a new species of Stephanospermum (Medullosales).  Canadian Journal of Botany, 73: 650-661.

Serbet R and GW Rothwell. 1999. Osmunda cinnamomea  (Osmundaceae) in the Cretaceous of Western North America; Additional evidence for exceptional species longevity among filicalean ferns. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 160: 425-433.

BJ Axsmith, R Serbet, M Krings, TN Taylor, EL Taylor and SH Mamay. 2003. The enigmatic Paleozoic plants Spermopteris and Phasmatocycas reconsidered. American Journal of Botany, 90: 1585-1595.

Serbet R and GW Rothwell. 2003. Anatomically preserved ferns from the Late Cretaceous of Western North America; Dennstaedtiaceae. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 164: 1041-1051.

Krings M, Klavins SD, Taylor TN, Taylor EL, Serbet R and H Kerp. 2006. Frond architecture of Odontopteris brardii (Pteridospermopsida, ?Medullosales) new evidence from the Upper Pennsylvanian of Missouri, U.S.A. - Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, 133: 33-45.

Serbet R, TN Taylor and EL Taylor. 2006. On a new Medullosan pollen organ from the Pennsylvanian of North America. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 142: 219-227.

Serbet R and GW Rothwell. 2006. Anatomically preserved ferns from the Late Cretaceous of Western North America II: Blechnaceae / Dryopteridaceae. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 167: 703-709.

Krings M, SD Klavins, M Barthel, S Lausberg, R Serbet, TN Taylor and EL Taylor. 2007. Perissothallus, a new genus for Late Pennsylvanian–Early Permian noncalcareous algae conventionally assigned to Schizopteris (aphleboid foliage), Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 153 (4), 477–488.

Serbet R, Escapa I, Taylor TN, Taylor EL and Cúneo NR. 2010. Additional observations on the enigmatic Permian plant Buriadia and implications on early coniferophyte evolution. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 161: 168-178.

Bomfleur, B., Serbet, R., Taylor, E.L., and Taylor, T.N. 2011. The possible pollen cone of the Late Triassic conifer Heidiphyllum/Telemachus (Voltziales) from Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 23 (4): 379–385.

Bomfleur, B., Taylor, E.L., Taylor T.N., Serbet, R., Krings, M., and Kerp, H. 2011. Systematics and paleoecology of a new peltaspermalean seed fern from the Triassic polar vegetation of Gondwana. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 172(6): 807–835.

Escapa, I.H., Taylor, E.L., Cúneo, N., Bomfleur, B., Bergene, J., Serbet, R., and Taylor, T.N. 2011. Triassic floras of Antarctica: plant diversity and distribution in high-paleolatitude communities. PALAIOS, 26(9): 522-544.

Serbet R., Bomfleur B., and Rothwell G.W. 2013. Cunninghamia taylorii sp. nov., a Structurally Preserved Cupressaceous Conifer from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Western North America. International Journal of Plant Sciences,174: 471-488.

Benjamin Bomfleur, Ignacio H. Escapa, Rudolph Serbet, Edith L. Taylor and Thomas N. Taylor. 2013. A reappraisal of Neocalamites and Schizoneura (fossil Equisetales) based on material from the Triassic of East Antarctica. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 37:3, 349-365.

Education: 

B.Sc., 1989, Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

M.S., 1991, Botany, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA

Ph.D., 1997, Paleobotany Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA 
Thesis: Morphologically and Anatomically preserved Fossil Plants from Alberta, Canada: A flora that supported the dinosaur fauna during the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

Grants: 

Collaborative Research: Fossil floras of the central Transantarctic Mountains: Integrating paleoecologic, floristic, sedimentologic, and paleoclimatic data. E.L. Taylor and J.L. Isbell, PIs; T.N. Taylor and Margaret Frasier, co-PIs (substitute co-PI for T.N. Taylor, Rudolph Serbet), 2008-2011
National Science Foundation Grant, Office of Polar Programs, $295,349

Permineralized plants from the Permian and Triassic of Antarctica: A critical time in seed plant evolution. E.L. Taylor and T.N. Taylor, co-PIs (substitute co-PI for T.N. Taylor, Rudolph Serbet), 2007-2009
National Science Foundation Grant, Office of Polar Programs, $493,319

Fossil Microbes from the Rhynie Chert Lagerstätte, T.N. Taylor (Substitute PI for T.N. Taylor, Rudolph Serbet), Michael Krings, co-PI. 2006-2008
National Science Foundation Grant, $385,000

Geological Society of America Research Grant (#4550-90), April 19, 1990. $500.00.

National Geographic Society, Scientific Research Grant (#5528-95), June 26, 1995. $3860.00. 

Funds for travel to professional meetings provided by the Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, $150.00 per year (1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995)

Awards: 

Antarctic Service Medal, 2012

Canadian Botanical Society, Honourable Mention, 1991, for paper presented
Presented at the Canadian Botanical Association and The Canadian Society of Plant Physiology, Joint Meeting, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

Teaching: 

Served as a teaching assistant for laboratory sections listed below: 

1989   Principles of Biology: 2 lab sections
1990   Principles of Biology: 5 lab sections including preparation and disassembly 
            Plants and People: 1 lab section
1991   Morphology of Vascular Plants: 1 lab section
            Introduction to Botany: 2 lab sections
            Plant Biology: 1 lab section     
1992   Introduction to Botany: 4 lab sections
1993   Plant Anatomy: 1 lab section
1994   Morphology of Vascular Plants: 1 lab section
            Plants and People: 1 lab section
            Plant Anatomy: 1 lab section
1995   Plant Anatomy: 1 lab section

Professional Presentations: 

1989, Taxodiaceous pollen cones from the Upper Cretaceous (Horseshoe Canyon Formation) of Drumheller, Alberta.  (Presented at AIBS Meeting, Toronto, Canada, August).

1989, Upper Cretaceous plants from Drumheller, Alberta. Paleobotany in Canada, status and prospects. (Presented at the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada, October).

1990, Hydrasperman reproduction in the evolution of ancient gymnosperms. (Presented at AIBS Meetings, Richmond, Virginia, August).

1991, Current status of the Elkins (West Virginia) Gymnosperm. (Presented at the Mid-Continent Paleobotanical Colloquium, Columbus, Ohio, April).

1991, Evidence for the most ancient seed plants. (Presented at the Canadian Botanical Association and The Canadian Society of Plant Physiology, Joint Meeting, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, June).

1991, Elkinsia polymorpha - Reconstructing an Upper Devonian (Famennian) plant with pre-ovules. (Presented at the AIBS Meetings, San Antonio, Texas, August)

1993, Pollination biology of Medullosan seed ferns; a new species of Stephanospermum from the Late Pennsylvanian of Ohio.  (Presented at the AIBS Meetings, Ames, Iowa, August).

1994, Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) flora from the Badlands of Alberta, Canada. (Presented at the Mid-Continent Paleobotanical Colloquium, Morgantown, West Virginia)

1994, Three Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) filicalean ferns from Alberta, Canada. (Presented at the AIBS Meetings, Knoxville, Tennessee, August)

1995, Porosia verrucosa from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Alberta, Canada: A reinvestigation. (Presented at the Mid-Continent Paleobotanical Colloquium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

1996, A diverse assemblage of morphologically and anatomically preserved fossil plants from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Alberta, Canada. (Presented at the fifth conference of the International Organisation of Palaeobotany, Santa Barbara, California)

2004, Nyssaceae among the Dinosaurs: Anatomically preserved fruits from the Upper Cretaceous Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. (Presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Snowbird, Utah)

2005. Paleobotanical collections: Conservation and management for future research (Presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas)

2005, Medullosan pollen organ diversity: An example from the Lower Pennsylvanian of Kentucky. (Presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas)

2006, Triassic ferns from Antarctica: an interesting dictyostelic type (Presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Chico, California)

2007, Plant/animal interactions: Cretaceous leaf galls from southern Alberta, Canada (Presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois)

2008, Ceratophyllum from southern Alberta, Canada: extending the geologic range of an extant group. (Presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada).

2009, Additional observations on Buriadia from the Permian of Antarctica. (Presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Snowbird, Utah).

2010, Paleobotanical Collections at the University of Kansas: Commitment to Excellence. Presented at the GSA Denver Annual Meeting).

2011, Lyginopterid seed fern diversity from the Pennsylvanian of Missouri. (Presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri).

Major Field Experience: 

Alberta: Paleocene & Cretaceous vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants
British Columbia: Paleocene & Eocene vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants
West Virginia: Devonian plants
Viginia: Triassic & Cretaceous plants
Ohio: Silurian, Ordovician, & Carboniferous inverbrates and plants
Kansas/Oklahoma/Texas: Carboniferous, Permian, & Cretaceous invertebrates and plants
South Dakota: Oligocene vertebrates and plants
Kentucky: Carboniferous plants
Antarctica: Permian, Triassic, & Jurassic plants

Professional Societies: 

Botanical Society of America - Paleobotanical Section
International Organisation of Palaeobotany

Galleries: 

Trees and other Ramifications, KU Natural History Museum, 2009
The Lush Vegetation of Antarctica, KU Natural History Museum, 2000–2002