Module GL3306: Palaeontology, palaeoecology and evolution
| Co-ordinator: | Dr Patrick Wyse Jackson |
|---|---|
| Course Type: | Mandatory |
| Assessment: | Theory examination (60%); in-course laboratory practical work and seminars (40%) |
| ECTS: | 5 credits |
| Prerequisites: | GL2202 or BY2204 |
Contact hours & timing:
Weeks 12-16, seven hours per week |
Module Learning Aims:
The aims are to provide (1) an understanding of evolutionary processes; (2) a link between modern and ancient ecosystems; (3) a synopsis of methodologies in taxonomy; and (4) guidelines on how to gather biological data from fossils in the field.
Module Content:
This module will focus on two areas: the evolution of life on our planet from earliest times, and the use of fossils as sources of palaeoenvironmental data. In the former topics covered in lectures include the Cambrian explosion, evolution and classification, the evolution of flight, and the biodiversity in the past, present and future. In the second area lectures and practical sessions will concentrate on determining the information available to field geologists from single fossils and from fossil assemblages and will reconstruct past environments from the available data, taking into consideration the reduced information available between the living organism and its fossilised representative. Some of the content of this module will be student-led through presentations.
Learning outcomes:
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
- describe the evolutionary steps displayed in the fossil record
- identify and describe modern ecological parameters that act on the biosphere and apply this information to the fossil record
- select appropriate statistical and qualitative techniques when investigating fossils in the field and in the laboratory
- discuss the basic principles of taxonomic procedures