PALEONTOLOGY
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Bibliography
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
Basic knowledge of Zoology and Geology
Oral test, with 3 questions : 1) recognizing and description of a fossil of an Invertebrate, 2) a topic in General Paleontology 3) an argument of Vertebrate Paleontology. Aimed to chck the knowledge of contnts and understanding of processes involved. Evaluation by a final grade.
Ability to define the role of fossils in recording and interpretation of the history and evolution of organisms. Use of fossils as biostratigraphic, paeoecologic and paleobiogeographic indicators. Ability to identify and classify specimens of the studied invertebrate groups.,
Ability to hypothesize the life environment and ecological niche of ancient organisms by analysis of anatomical characters preserved in fossils.
Understanding history and evolution of organisms as documented by fossils Understanding of the relatioships beteween selective pressures and development of new bauplans in organisms. Role of adaptation in the evolutionary history of vertebrates as evolutionary response to environmental variations.
1) Palaeontology definition and aims.What is a fossil, different kind of fossils
Biostratinomy: death if an organism, decomposition, disarticulation, transport, selection of organisms remains. Conditions that allow or hinder conservation of remains until burial.
Burial and diagenesis. Burial in sediments, relationships betweena granulometry and conservation. Burial in fluids. Carbonization and carbonification. Conditions that allow preservation during diagenesis of sediments.
Fossilization of mineralized parts: permineralization , substitution.
Conservation of organic parts. Conditions favourable to preservation Role of bacterial mats
Tanatocoenosis, differences with Biocoenosis. Kinds of Tanatocoenoses: autoctonous, allochtonous mixed. Reworked fossils..
Taxonomy: binomial nomenclature, taxonomic categories. Species in paleontology,. Rules for the erction of a species in paleontology, related problems. Specie types. Problems of omonimy and synonimy.
Evolution: Role of fossils and neontological evidences. Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection. Modern synthetic theory of evolution. Theory of punctuated equlibrium. Macroevolution. Evolutionary trends. Role of catastrophes and of natural selection in the modern evolutionary theory oof punctuated equilibrium.
9Paleoecology, definition and difference with eecology. Fossils useful for paleoecological research. Methods of paleoecological research fossils as environmental indicators.
10) Paleobiogeography, Relationships between phylogeny and paleobiogeography.
11) Biostratigraphy. Rule of strata superimposition. Unidirectional evolution. Concept of correlation. Correlation methods. Absolute and relative dating. Fossils as biostratigraphic indexes. Biomarkers, examples. Cronostratigraphy e geochronology. Concept of zone. Different kinds of zones. Main chronostratigraphic and geochrnologic units. Eons, eras and periods of Earth history.
Systematic Paleontology: Invertebrates (10 hours)
1) Animal kingdom.
2) To be able to assess the Class/Subclass describing the morphology know the time range the palaeontological significance and life habits of fossils belonging to the following zoological groups::
Phylum Mollusca: Class Bivalvia, Class Gastropoda, Class Cephalopoda, Subclass Nautiloidea Ammonoidea and Belemnoidea.
Phylum Arthropoda, Class Trilobita
Phylum Brachiopoda, Class Articulata.
Vertebrate Paleontology (26 hours)
1)Vertebrate origin. Deuterostomes, Tunicates, Cephalocordates and Craniates
2) Pisces Agnatha and the origin of Gnatostomes, Jaw development, paleobiological implications, :Placoderms, Selachii, Acanthode,, Hints on the Atinopterygian radiation..
3)From water to earth: Sarcopterygii and Anphibia , Tetrapodskeleton Batracomorpha and reptiliomorpha, toward modern amphibians
4) Reptilian faunas during the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic. Diapsid radiation : Lepidosauromorpha and Lepidosauria, Arcosauromorpha and Arcosauria,.
5)Diversity and biology of Dinosaurs, Birds origin;
6)Pterosaur diversity. Radiation of Mesozoic marine reptiles ,
7) Synapsids and the origin of mammals. The mass extinction at K/T limit
8)Cenozoic: first mammal faunas . Diversity of lower Tertiary mammals. Brief history of modern mammals. Origin of man
Slides available to the student (on teacher website docente), Serpagli Raffi Introduzione alla Paleontologia UTET 2003, Benton, Paleontologia dei Vertebrati Franco Lucisano Editore
Front lessons 64 hours in teleteaching with electronic board to show specimens 6 hour collective teaching to show directly the specimens 4 hours seminary in museums
Students are received by appointment via email request at silvio.renesto@uninsubria.it
teacher website: https://www.uninsubria.it/hpp/silvio-claudio.renesto