Institute

Dr Maria Barbacka-Bóka

Associate Professor

Unit
Palaeobotany and Palaeoenvironment Group
E‑mail
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Phone
+4812‑4241‑773
Address
Lubicz 46, 31‑512 Kraków, Poland
Room
A‑205

ORCID

Research interests

  • European and non-European Mesozoic floras: taxonomy, evolution, palaeoecology (reconstructions of plant cover and ecosystems), mechanisms of plant adaptation in context of environmental and climatic changes.

Higher education and employment history

  • MSc degree at the University of Opole (1981).
  • Research assistant at the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, PAS (1980-1982).
  • Senior museologist of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Botanical Department, Budapest (since 1989).
  • PhD degree at the Eotvos Lorand Uniwersity (ELTE), Budapest (1995).
  • Assistant professor at the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, PAS (since 2010).
  • Habilitation at the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, PAS (2012).

Membership and awards

  • Member of the Hungarian Palaeontological Society (1991-2014).
  • Member of the Palaeontological Committee of Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2008-2014).
  • Representative of Eastern Europe of the International Organisation of Palaeobotany (since 2000).

International experience

  • Sweden (1992) - 1-week research stay; Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm.
  • The Netherlands (1993, 1996) - 2-week (in total) research stay; Utrecht University, Urecht.
  • United Kingdom (1994) - 2-week research stay; Natural History Museum, London.
  • China (1996) - 2-week research stay; Nanjing University, Nanjing.
  • France (1997, 1999) - 3-week (in total) research stay; Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon.
  • Czech Republic (2000) - 1-week research stay; Museum of Natural History, Prague.
  • Sweden (2004) - 10-day workshop, Swedish Musem of Natural History, Stockholm.
  • Romania (2013, 2014) - 2-week (in total); University of Bucharest, Bucharest.
  • Germany (2017) - 1-week workship; the State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart.

Research projects

  • Seed ferns of the early Jurassic of Hungary (1993-1996); grant no. F 7222; Hungarian Scientific Research Found - project leader.
  • Bennettitaleans, cycads and ginkgophytes from the early Jurassic of Hungary and their role in evolution (1998-2001); grant no. T 025665; Hungarian Scientific Research Found – project leader.
  • Events, processes and cuses of global extinction at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary and environmental changes in Hungary and neighbouring countries (2003-2006); Hungarian Scientific Research Found - co-investigator.
  • Evolutional and environmental changes of the Jurassic flora of southern and central Poland (2004–2007); grant no. 2 P04C 032 27; State Committee for Scientific Research, Poland - co-investigator.
  • Influence of climate on development and distribution sphenophytes and ferns in ealry Jurassic (2005-2009); grant no. T 049226; Hungarian Scientific Research Found – project leader.
  • Biodiversity of flora composition during Triassic and Jurassic in Poland, depending on local climatic and environmental conditions (2009–2013); grant no. N N303 373 036; Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland - co-investigator.
  • Plant succession in early Jurassic of Hungary in the light of local environmental changes within delta plain (2012-2014); grant no. T 100658; Hungarian Scientific Research Found – project leader.
  • Changes of terrestrial vegetation during Triassic/Jurassic transition in Poland in aspect of global extinction theory (2013–2015); grant no. 2012/05/B/NZ8/00990; National Science Center, Poland – project leader.
  • Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic changes in Rhaetian and Early Jurassic (about 175-204 Ma) based on the new data from Poland, Great Britain and Germany (2013-2016); grant no. 2012/06/M/ST10/00478; Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland - co-investigator.
  • Reconstruction of the Early Jurassic ecosystems of southern Poland (2018–2022); grant no. 2017/25/B/ST10/01273; National Science Center, Poland – project leader.

Recent publications (selected)

Qvarnström M., Vikberg Wernström J., Wawrzyniak Z., Barbacka M., Pacyna G., Górecki A., Ziaja J., Jarzynka A., Owocki K., Sulej T., Marynowski L., Pieńkowski G., Ahlberg P.E., Niedźwiedzki G. 2024. Digestive contents and food webs record the advent of dinosaur supremacy. Nature 636: 397–403. DOI

Khalilizadeh H., Ashouri A.R., Ghaderi A., Barbacka M. 2023. Two fossilized swamps containing in situ Sphenophyta stems, rhizomes, and root systems from the Middle Jurassic Hojedk Formation, Kerman area (Iran). Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments 103: 3–20. DOI

Barbacka M., Górecki A., Pacyna G., Pieńkowski G., Phillippe M., Bóka K., Ziaja J., Jarzynka A., Qvarnström M., Niedźwiedzki G. 2022. Early Jurassic coprolites: insights into palaeobotany and the feeding behaviour of dinosaurs. Papers in Palaeontology 8: e1425. DOI

Barbacka M., Pacyna G. 2022. Polish palaeobotany: 750 million years of plant history as revealed in a century of studies. Palaeozoic macroflora. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 91: 9125. DOI

Barbacka M., Pacyna G., Halamski A.T. 2022. Polish palaeobotany: 750 million years of plant history as revealed in a century of studies. Mesozoic macroflora. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 91: 9126. DOI

Pacyna G., Barbacka M. 2022. Polish palaeobotany: 750 million years of plant history as revealed in a century of studies. Palaeozoic macrofossils. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 91: 9123. DOI

Pacyna G., Ziaja J., Barbacka M., Pieńkowski G., Jarzynka A., Niedźwiedzki G. 2022. Early Jurassic dinosaur-dominated track assemblages, floristic and environmental changes in the Holy Cross Mountains region, Poland. Geological Quarterly 66: 29. DOI

Barbacka M., Pacyna G., Ziaja J., Niedźwiedzki G. 2021. Co napędzało dinozaury? Academia 65: 98–102. DOI

Anderson H.M., Barbacka M., Bamford M.K., Holmes W.B.K., Anderson J.M. 2020. Dicroidium (foliage) and affiliated wood: part 3 of a reassessment of Gondwana Triassic plant genera and a reclassification of some previously attributed. Alcheringa 44: 64–92. DOI

Pieńkowski G., Hesselbo S.P., Barbacka M., Leng M.J. 2020. Non-marine carbon-isotope stratigraphy of the Triassic-Jurassic transition in the Polish Basin and its relationships to organic carbon preservation, pCO2 and palaeotemperature. Earth-Science Reviews 210: 103383. DOI

Anderson H.M., Barbacka M., Bamford M.K., Holmes W.B.K., Anderson J.M. 2019. Umkomasia (megasporophyll): part 1 of a reassessment of Gondwana Triassic plant genera and a reclassification of some previously attributed. Alcheringa 43: 43–70. DOI

Anderson H.M., Barbacka M., Bamford M.K., Holmes W.B.K., Anderson J.M. 2019. Pteruchus (microsporophyll): part 2 of a reassessment of Gondwana Triassic plant genera and a reclassification of some previously attributed. Alcheringa 43: 511–533. DOI

Barbacka M., Kustatscher E., Bodor E.R. 2019. Ferns of the Lower Jurassic from the Mecsek Mountains (Hungary): taxonomy and palaeoecology. PalZ 93: 151–185. DOI

Barbacka M., Pacyna G., Górecki A., Kustatscher E. 2019. Leonophyllum tenellum nov. gen., nov. sp., an enigmatic plant from the Early Jurassic of the Mecsek Mts (Hungary). Geobios 53: 1–7. DOI

Barbacka M., Pacyna G., Kocsis Á.T., Jarzynka A., Ziaja J., Bodor E. 2017. Changes in terrestrial floras at the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary in Europe. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 480: 80–93. DOI

Pacyna G., Barbacka M., Zdebska D., Ziaja J., Fijałkowska-Mader A., Bóka K., Sulej T. 2017. A new conifer from the Upper Triassic of southern Poland linking the advanced voltzialean type of ovuliferous scale with Brachyphyllum-Pagiophyllum-like leaves. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 245: 28–54. DOI

Barbacka M., Pacyna G., Pieńkowski G., Ziaja J. 2016. New data about Matonia braunii (Göppert) Harris from the Early Jurassic of Poland and its ecology. Geological Quarterly 60: 857–868. DOI

Barbacka M., Popa M.E., Mitka J., Bodor E., Püspöki Z., McIntosh R.W. 2016. A quantitative approach for identifying plant ecogroups in the Romanian Early Jurassic terrestrial vegetation. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 446: 44–54. DOI