OVERVIEW

Paleobiology is the science that seeks to reconstruct the biological aspects of now extinct organisms and uses methods between earth sciences and biological sciences to study the life of organisms in past eras. Paleobiology therefore has the great merit of being able to access extensive population data over extended time intervals and therefore able to test questions relating to evolution, adaptation and paleoecological variations by moving freely along temporal and environmental gradients.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to provide students with an overview of the main methods used in paleobiology which can also be used in the most modern biological sciences when one has access to large amounts of data and tries to reconstruct environmental or climatic factors in a context of stress or adaptation.

The course aims to analyze some examples of paleobiological studies that have led to the understanding of the main factors that have characterized the response of the biosphere to some of the great mass extinctions, focusing on those groups of organisms that have highlighted greater capacity for adaptation and resilience compared to those that instead suffered complete extinction.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course the student must be able to:

• use the correct methodology in interpreting the biological signal in past eras;
• knowing how to use the morphology of fossil remains in an applicative manner in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironment within which the community of organisms lived;
• recognize and discuss any variations compared to the fossilization environment;
• correlate paleobiological and paleoecological aspects in a context of climate changes in the most remote but also very recent eras
• interpret the evolution of biodiversity in space and time by knowing how to recognize the main factors that have led to modern conditions and try to think about future biological and ecological scenarios

PREREQUISITES

Notions of systematics of marine organisms, mastery of the correct taxonomies for the morphological description of organisms

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching will be structured as frontal lessons and field activities.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

• introduction to paleobiology, birth and evolution of the discipline;
• paleobiodiversity, extinction and speciation curves;
• environmental crises, evolution, resilience and adaptation
• functional morphology at the service of paleobiology
• study of populations and temporal variations
• field data collection, paleobiological and paleoecological analysis and interpretations

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Palaeobiology II Editor(s): Derek E.G. Briggs, Peter R. Crowther. Print ISBN:9780632051496 |Online ISBN:9780470999295 |DOI:10.1002/9780470999295

The Paleobiological Revolution: Essays on the Growth of Modern Paleontology by David Sepkoski (Editor), Michael Ruse (Editor). ISBN-10 0226748618

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ANTONINO BRIGUGLIO (President)

MICHELE PIAZZA

ANDREA BAUCON (President Substitute)

LESSONS

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam with discussion of fossil remains seen during lessons or on the field. There are no intermediate tests or barrier tests.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral exam will allow you to verify the student's ability to analyze and interpret the morphology of the fossil remains in relation to its paleobiological characteristics. Through the discussion of graphs seen in class, we will think about the main geological events that have characterized the evolution of organisms over time.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sara Ferrando (sara.ferrando@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.