ESCI-275 Paleontology, Paleobiology, Paleoecology (crosslisted with Biology) Spring 2010

Dr David P Gillikin (home)

Nearly all species that have existed on Earth are now extinct and are only known through the fossil record. This course examines the evolution and history of life on Earth as interpreted from the fossil record. Topics include fossil preservation, taphonomy, ontogeny, diversity trajectories through geologic time, evolutionary mechanisms, extinction, paleobiology, paleoecology and paleoclimate. Special emphasis will be placed on using fossils to interpret ancient environments as well as deciphering past climates. The course focuses on the fossil record of marine invertebrates, but major groups of vertebrates and plants are also covered.

Paleontology is much much more than just fossil identification - We use the fossil record to answer both biological and geological questions. Biological questions include ' What is the basic pattern of biological diversification of life on Earth, and what are the factors that control and modify this process' and one of the most famous geological examples might be the application of the Glossopteris flora to infer continental drift (see Goodwin, 2006, for more what modern paleontology has to offer).

Topics covered include:

Fossils in time and space.
Taphonomy and the quality of the fossil record.
Paleoecology and paleoclimates.
Macroevolution and the tree of life.
Fossil form and function.
Mass extinctions and biodiversity loss.
The origin of life.
Diversification of life.
Learning about your favorite fossil: sponges, corals, braciopods, mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms, fishes and basal tetrapods, dinosaurs and mammals, fossil plants, and more.