Sept. 3 Introduction to Course: Why Study Fossils?
Reading: Prothero Chap. 1
Sept. 5 Taphonomy I: Properties and Habitats of Good Fossil Makers
Reading: Prothero Chap. 1
Online Reading: Knoll 2003
LAB 1: Orientation and Taphonomy: Clarkson Chap. 1 (pp.3-6)
Sept. 8 Taphonomy II: Fossils as Sedimentary Particles & Taphonomic Filters
Reading: Prothero Chap. 1
Sept. 10 Taphonomy III: Modes of Fossilization
Reading: Prothero Chap. 1
Sept. 12 Taphonomy IV: Lagerstätten
Reading: Prothero Chap. 1
LAB 2: Micropaleontology: Clarkson Chap. 3 (pp.55-57)
Sept. 15 Biostratigraphy
Reading: Prothero Chap. 10
Sept. 17 Trace Fossils I
Reading: Prothero Chap. 18
Sept. 19 Trace Fossils II
Reading: Prothero Chap. 18
LAB 3: Biostratigraphy: Clarkson Chap. 1, (pp. 20-23)
Sept. 22 Variation and Fossil Individuals
Reading: Prothero Chap. 2
Sept. 24 Species and Species Criteria
Reading: Prothero Chap. 3
Sept. 26 Alpha Taxonomy & Identifying Fossils
Reading: Prothero Chap. 3
LAB 4: Poriferans and Cnidarians: Clarkson Chap. 4-5, (pp. 85-140)
Sept. 29 Evolution Review
Reading: Prothero Chap. 5
Report I due
Oct. 1 Macroevolution and the Fossil Record
Reading: Prothero Chap. 5
Oct. 3 Cladistics I: Methods of Phylogenetic Analysis
Reading: Prothero Chap. 4
Online Reading: Cladistics for Palaeontologists, particluarly
Introduction, Characters,
Tree-Building,
Optimization
LAB 5: Bryozoans and Brachiopods: Clarkson Chap. 6-7, (pp. 143-194)
Oct. 6 Cladistics II: Phylogenetic Inferences
Reading: Prothero Chap. 4
Online Reading: Cladistics for Palaeontologists, particularly
Consensus & Support, Missing Information and Stratigraphy;
Phylogenetic Independent Contrasts;
Donoghue and Benton 2007
Oct. 8 Exam I
Oct. 10 Paleoecology, the Fundamental Niche, and Extinction
Reading: Prothero Chaps. 6, 8
Online Reading: Jackson and Overpeck 2000
LAB 6: Practical Phylogenetics
Oct. 13 Paleoenvironmental Analysis & Isotopic Paleontology
Reading: Prothero Chap. 8
Oct. 15, 17 No lectures or lab.
Oct. 20 Faunal Analyses: Paleontology of Communities
Reading: Prothero Chap. 9
Online Reading: Bambach et al. 2007,
Dunne et al. 2008
Oct. 22 Lineage-Based Analyses: Trends in Taxa
Reading: Prothero Chap. 8
Oct. 24 Functional Morphology
Reading: Prothero Chap. 7
LAB 7: Univalved Molluscs: Clarkson Chap. 8, (pp. 197-203, 222-257)
Oct. 27 The Oldest Fossils & Prokaryote Fossil History
Online Reading: Brasier et al. 2006,
Schopf 2006
Report II due
Oct. 29 Fossil Protists
Reading: Prothero Chap. 11
Online Reading: Knoll et al. 2006
Oct. 31 Precambrian Macrofossils: the Garden of Ediacara and the Long Fuse of the Cambrian Explosion
Online Reading: Marshall 2006,
Narbonne 2005
Paper Topics Due
LAB 8: Bivalves: Clarkson Chap. 8 (pp. 203-221)
Nov. 3 Poriferans and Cnidarians
Reading: Prothero Chap. 12
Nov. 5 Basal Bilateralians, Bryozoans, Brachiopods
Reading: Prothero Chap. 13
Online Reading: Halanych 2004
Nov. 7 Mollusks I: Basal Forms through Gastropods
Reading: Prothero Chap. 15
LAB 9: Arthropoda: Clarkson Chap. 11, (pp. 348-400)
Nov. 10 Mollusks II: Cephalopods & Bivalves
Reading: Prothero Chap. 15
Nov. 12 Exam II
Nov. 14 Arthropods I: Basal forms, Myriapods, Trilobites
Reading: Prothero Chap. 14
Paper Initial Bibliography Due
LAB 10: Echinodermata: Clarkson Chap. 9, (pp. 262-315)
Nov. 17 Arthropods II: Chelicerates, Mandibulates;
Reading: Prothero Chap. 14
Nov. 19 Echinoderms I: Basal Echinoderms
Reading: Prothero Chap. 16
Nov. 21 Echinoderms II: Eleutherozoans
Reading: Prothero Chap. 16
LAB 11: Graptolites and Vertebrates: Clarkson Chap. 10, (pp. 318-346)
Nov. 27 Graptolites, Basal Chordates, & the Origin of the Vertebrates
Reading: Prothero Chap. 17
Nov. 29 Vertebrate Paleontology I: Paleoichthyology
Reading: Prothero Chap. 17
Nov. 23-26 Thanksgiving Recess: enjoy your roasted dinosaur
Dec. 1 Vertebrate Paleontology II: Fossil Tetrapods
Reading: Prothero Chap. 17
Dec. 3 Paleobotany I: Spore Plants & the Colonization of Land
Reading: Prothero Chap. 19
Online Reading: Crane et al. 2004
Dec. 5 Paleobotany II: Seed Plants
Reading: Prothero Chap. 19
Online Reading: Soltis et al. 2008
LAB 12: Paleobotany
Dec. 8 Student Presentations
Dec. 10 Student Presentations
PAPERS DUE!
Dec. 12 The Future of Paleontology
LAB: PRACTICAL
Dec. 16 (Tuesday!) FINAL EXAM, PLS 1164, 1:30 -3:30 pm
For a formatted printable copy of the complete syllabus, click here.
Class Location & Time, Policies, Textbooks, etc.