Department of Geological Sciences
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

INVERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
GEOL/BIOL 478, Spring 2007

Professor: Donna Surge
Contact Info: 225 Mitchell Hall, donna64@unc.edu
Web Address: www.unc.edu/~donna64/surge.html
Office Hours: By appointment

Course Description: Introduction to the principles, methods of analysis, and major controversies within paleontology. Examination of the fossil record and its application to problems in evolutionary biology, paleoecology, paleoclimatology, and general Earth history. Lab involves observation, analysis, and interpretation of fossil specimens and relevant material of living organisms. There will be one required weekend field trip – yes, we will camp. See schedule for dates. Graduate students may be required to hand in a field report.

Course Objectives: To provide a broad overview of the science of paleontology, particularly invertebrate paleontology, with emphasis on 1) current understanding of the history of life on Earth; 2) contributions of paleontology to evolutionary theory and geology; and 3) areas of ongoing research, particularly in the field of paleoclimatology.

Course Structure: The class meets twice a week for lecture on Tuesday and Thursday. Lab meets directly after lecture on Tuesdays. A separate syllabus for the lab section will be provided by the teaching assistant. Lectures will introduce topics for the majority of the semester. Approximately, five meetings during the semester will be devoted to a seminar-style format where we will discuss seminal and current journal articles. One of these seminar-style discussions will be dedicated to The Great Debate (punctuated equilibrium vs. phyletic gradualism). More on this later. Graduate students will be required to hand in a 1-2 page written critique of each paper. Major, overriding concepts (not specific details) from each paper are fair game for exam questions.

Readings: Chapters relating to each week’s topic will be assigned from the following required textbook:

Foote and Miller (2007) Principles of Paleontology, 3rd edition, W.H. Freeman and Company, New York.

Additional readings will be either handed out in class or put on reserve in the main office. You are responsible for reading all assigned materials before class and coming prepared to discuss them.

Term Papers: All students enrolled in the course will be required to write a 10-12 page term paper and submit an outline for topic approval. Oral presentations of these papers are scheduled for the last week of class.

Grading:

Undergrads:

2 one-hour exams: 50%
writing assignments: 25%
class participation: 5%
lab exercises: 20%

Grads:

2 one-hour exams: 40%
writing assignments: 35%
class participation: 5%
lab exercises: 20%

 

Tentative Lecture Schedule: Subject to Change

 

Topic and Readings

Weeks 1&2

Taphonomy and Preservation: Ch 1, Foote and Miller

Discussion (Thursday, 18 January):
Schopf T. J. M. (1978) Fossilization potential of an intertidal fauna: Friday Harbor, Washington. Paleobiology, 4, 261-270.

Week 3

Growth and Form: Ch 2, Foote and Miller

Week 4

Populations and Species: Ch 3, Foote and Miller

Week 5

Systematics: Ch 4, Foote and Miller

Phylogenetics Mini Assignment

Week 6

Evolutionary Morphology: Ch 5, Foote and Miller

Week 7

Biostratigraphy: Ch 6, Foote and Miller

Week 8

Mid-term Exam: Tuesday, 27 February

Evolutionary Rates and Trends: Ch 7, Foote and Miller

Week 9

Evolutionary Rates and Trends (continued): Ch 7, Foote and Miller

The Great Debate: Punc Eq vs. Gradualism (8 March)

Outline for term paper due 8 March


Spring Break
 


No Classes

Week 10

Biomineralization and Evolutionary History

Knoll A. H. (2003) Biomineralization and evolutionary history. In Biomineralization, Vol. 54 (ed. P. M. Dove, J. J. De Yoreo, and S. Weiner), pp. 329-356. Mineralogical Society of America, Geochemical Society.

Stanley S. M. and Hardie L. A. (1998) Secular oscillations in the carbonate mineralogy of reef-building and sediment-producing organisms driven by tectonically forced shifts in seawater chemistry. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 144(1-2), 3-19.

Discussion/Video (22 March)

Week 11

Global Diversification and Extinction: Ch 8, Foote and Miller

 


Weekend Field Trip: 30 March - 1 April
 

Week 12

Discussion (Tuesday, 3 April): Reading TBA

Paleoecology and Paleobiogeography: Ch 9, Foote and Miller

Week 13

Paleoecology and Paleobiogeography (continued): Ch 9, Foote and Miller

Discussion (Thursday, 12 April): Reading TBA

Week 14

Multidisciplinary Case Studies: Ch 10, Foote and Miller

Discussion (Thursday, 19 April): Reading TBA

Week 15

Student Oral Presentations

3 May, Thurs.

Final Exam, 4pm

Lab Schedule:  Stay tuned, but will include fossil critters