ERSC 4460 - Paleobiology

Three hours lecture. one 12 day field trip or two hours laboratory per week. Four credit hours.

The evolution and ecological structure of the biosphere from the origin of life to the present emphasizing the evolution and paleobiology of animal life as shown by the fossil record. Lectures discuss the methods used to interpret the fossil record, and cover topics such as ontogeny, speciation, phylogeny and systematics, functional anatomy, biogeography, biostratigraphy, paleoecology, and macroevolution. Laboratories will focus on paleobiological principles that can be demonstrated by the major groups of invertebrates that are common in the geologic record.

Prerequisites: ERSC 2303/ERSC 2103, BIOL 1400 or BIOL 1401, or consent of instructor; ERSC 3320 recommended.