Module overview
Linked modules
(SOES1008 and SOES1009) or BIOL2001
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand the role of fossils in interpreting the origins of living groups of organisms
- Interpreting fossil form & assemblages
- Handling numerical data on evolution & extinction
- Make simple palaeoecological deductions in the field.
- Evaluate some of the current issues in palaeontology
- Ability to relate type of preservation to palaeoenvironmental conditions.
- Understand the significance of taphonomy
- Relate morphology to function
Syllabus
Evolution: the problems of origin, radiation, functional adaptation and extinction of fossil groups.
Phylogeny: Using fossils to understand the inter-relationships of living groups of animals
Taphonomy: examples of exceptional preservation and their significance for the evolutionary and palaeo-ecological record.
Palaeoecology: significance and use of fossils in environmental interpretation, palaeoecological methods.
Functional morphology: dynamics of flight and swimming in extinct reptiles. Evolution of flight. Interpretation and handling of data, morphology and evolution in selected groups, e.g. trilobites, cephalopods, brachiopods, bivalves, echinoderms pterosaurs and dinosaurs.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Formal lectures: will cover the main topics of evolution, taphonomy, palaeoecology, and functional morphology.
Practical classes & demonstrations: will exemplify theory and allow you to develop appropriate practical skills. The practical classes are fully interactive allowing you hands-on experience of examining specimens, etc. under laboratory conditions and analysis of fossil data using R.
Fieldwork during a one-day fieldcourse: you will develop your investigative skills, by relating types of preservation to palaeoenvironmental conditions.
A wide range of support can be provided for those students who have further or specific learning and teaching needs.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 |
| Independent Study | 94 |
| Fieldwork | 9 |
| Practical classes and workshops | 27 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assessment | 100% |