teacher profile teaching materials
• From the living organism to the fossil: taphonomy; examples of exceptional preservation (Lagerstätten).
• Basic concepts and terminology preparatory to the study and understanding of Paleontology (extinction, adaptive radiation, monophyly, polyphyly, speciation (s.l. and s.s., allopatry, sympatry, peripatry, and parapatry), founder effect and bottleneck, homologous and analogous characters, etc.).
• Classification of organisms, zoological nomenclature, taxonomy, parataxonomy.
• Evolutionary theories of Lamarck and Darwin-Wallace.
• Basic concepts of ecology and paleoecology, marine environments (various classifications), chemical-physical factors influencing the distribution of marine organisms, paleoichnology.
• Biostratigraphy: biozones, biostratigraphic correlations, homotaxy, comparison of stratigraphic resolutions.
• Paleobiogeography: models of organism dispersal (dispersion and vicariance). Case studies.
Raffi S. & Serpagli E., 1993 - Introduzione Alla Paleontologia. U.T.E.T.;
Benton M.J. & Harper D.A.T., 2009 - Introduction to Paleobiology and the fossil record, Wiley-Blackwell.
Programme
- Introduction to the course and history of Paleontology.• From the living organism to the fossil: taphonomy; examples of exceptional preservation (Lagerstätten).
• Basic concepts and terminology preparatory to the study and understanding of Paleontology (extinction, adaptive radiation, monophyly, polyphyly, speciation (s.l. and s.s., allopatry, sympatry, peripatry, and parapatry), founder effect and bottleneck, homologous and analogous characters, etc.).
• Classification of organisms, zoological nomenclature, taxonomy, parataxonomy.
• Evolutionary theories of Lamarck and Darwin-Wallace.
• Basic concepts of ecology and paleoecology, marine environments (various classifications), chemical-physical factors influencing the distribution of marine organisms, paleoichnology.
• Biostratigraphy: biozones, biostratigraphic correlations, homotaxy, comparison of stratigraphic resolutions.
• Paleobiogeography: models of organism dispersal (dispersion and vicariance). Case studies.
Prerequisiti
NoneCore Documentation
AAVV, 2020 - Manuale di Paleontologia. Fondamenti e applicazioni. Idelson-Gnocchi;Raffi S. & Serpagli E., 1993 - Introduzione Alla Paleontologia. U.T.E.T.;
Benton M.J. & Harper D.A.T., 2009 - Introduction to Paleobiology and the fossil record, Wiley-Blackwell.
Type of delivery of the course
Interactive classroom-taught lesson. Explanations and discussions of the main topics by means of ppt slides, exercises and schemes/drawings on the chalkboardAttendance
Attendance is mandatory. To be admitted to the exam, students are required to attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled lectures. The methods for verifying attendance will be communicated by the professor at the beginning of the course. Any exceptions or exemptions are governed by the Regulations of the respective Degree Courses and the competent academic bodies.Type of evaluation
The assessment consists of an oral exam designed to verify the student's understanding of the topics covered during lectures. The student will be required to illustrate the topics covered during lectures. From the main topic, secondary questions will follow, either related to the syllabus or aimed at verifying the student's synthesis and reasoning skills. Evaluation criteria and determination of the final grade. The final grade, expressed on a 30-point scale (out of 30), is based on: • accuracy and completeness of knowledge; • ability to connect the acquired knowledge; • independence demonstrated in individual deep-studying; • clear presentation and correct use of technical terminology.