Learning objectives
<br />The specific goals of the course are:<br />to impart an understanding of the basic nature of paleontology and of its applicative subject such as paleoecology, evolution, biogeography. <br />to give a sufficient base to apply paleontology to geology <br />to provide an understanding of the fossils and of the physical nature of fossil record from its excellent preservation to its deficiencies.<br />to give enough information for each phylum of marine invertebrate about morphology, biology, classification, stratigraphic distribution and paloecologic significance to appreciate fossils as once living organisms and to understand the levels of invertebrate organization.<br />
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
<br />General paleontology (3cfu): Nature and scope of Paleontology. Fossil preservation, taphonomy (biostratinomy, burial and diagenesis), ichnology. Time in paleontology, principle of uniformism. Classification, taxonomy and systematics, rules of zoological nomenclature, species concept (biospecies, morphospecies, cronospecies and phylogenetic species), <br />Systematic paleontology (3cfu): functional morphology, anatomy, classification, major taxonomic subdivisions, stratigraphy and paleocology of the main phyla of marine invertebrates during Phanerzoic: Porifera, Archaeocyatha, Cnidaria, Arthropoda (with particular care to the classes Trilobita e Crustacea), Mollusca, Brachiopoda, Bryozoa, Echinodermata, Hemichordata (only the class Graptolithina)<br />
Full programme
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Bibliography
for general paleontology: <br />Raffi S., Serpagli E., 1992. Introduzione alla Paleontologia. UTET Ed., Torino. <br />Ziegler B.,1983. Introduction to paleobiology: general paleontology. Ellis Horwood limited. <br />for systematics: <br />Allasinaz A. ,1999. Invertebrati fossili. UTET Ed., Torino <br />McKinney F.K., 1991. Exercises in invertebrate paleontology. Blackwell Scientific Publications<br />Boardman R.S., Cheetham A.H., Rowell, A.J.L.. Fossil Invertebrates, Blackwell Scient. Public., Oxford-London-Edimburg <br />Clarkson E.N.K. Invertebrate paleontology and evolution. Allen & Unwin
Teaching methods
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Other information
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