Taphonomy and fossilization processes. Adaptive functional morphology. Actuopaleontology; basics on paleoenvironments. Paleoichnology. Dinamics of fossil populations. Species in Paleontology. Biostratigraphy. Basics on paleoclimate. Paleobiogeography. Origin of biosphere and the most ancient fossils. Basics on some of the main fossil groups.
Introduzione alla Paleontologia. -Raffi S. & Serpagli E.
Principles of Paleontology – Raup D. M. & Stanley S. M.
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired:
Fossil significance and fossilization processes; fossil record value in the evolutionary history of life and relationships with the environment.
Competence acquired:
Knowledge of the main evolutionary steps of the organisms and of their environments.
Skills acquired (at the end of the course):
Ability in the recognition of taphonomic history by characteristics of fossil record and of orichtocenosis and interpretation of the biostratigraphic, paleoenvironmental and paleogeographic framework.
Prerequisites
Courses recommended: Geology
Teaching Methods
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Hours reserved to private study and other individual formative activities:
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 40
Contact hours for: Laboratory (hours):
Contact hours for: Laboratory-field/practice (hours): 12
Further information
Frequency of lectures, practice and lab:
highly recommended.
Teaching tools:
Didactic collections, Paleontology Museum
Type of Assessment
Oral examination
Course program
Fossil record and evolution of the paleontological knowledge. Taphonomy and fossilizzation processes. Fossils and paleoenvironment, limiting environment factors and chracteristics of paleo-assemlbages. Actuopaleontology, principle of uniformism; adaptive, functional morphology; life styles and food chain of fossil organisms. Paleoichnology: value of trace fossils. Dinamics of fossil populations. Fossil record and evolution. The problem of species in paleontology; abiological and biological morphological intraspecific differences. Rate of evolution; “living fossils”; speciation, radiation, extinction. Biostratigraphy, biozones and bioevents; marker fossils, crhonocorrelations; integrated strtigraphy. Fossil record and paleoclimate, fossil record and paleobiogeography; patterns and pathways of organisms. Origin of the biosphere, the first main steps in the evolution: geological testimonices; fossil records of the first organisms during the Precambrian. Basics on some principal fossil groups and fossil record of the main evolutionary events during Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic.