GEL 107 Earth History: Paleobiology

Spring 2010 MWF 12:10 - 1:00 PM 1001 Giedt Hall

Instructor: Sandy Carlson, Rm. 2123 Earth & Physical Sciences Bldg; Telephone: 752-2834 e-mail: sjcarlson@ucdavis.edu Office hours: MWF 10:30 - 11:30am, or by appointment. Text (recommended): Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record by Michael J. Benton and David A. T. Harper, 2009, Wiley-Blackwell. (Available at UCD Bookstore). Text is required for GEL 107L; recommended for GEL 107. Requirements: Midterm I (30%); Midterm II (30%); Final exam (40% of grade). Web site: https://smartsite.ucdavis.edu/xsl-portal/site/99975a70-f9e5-4718-9f661d7c7841efea/ DATE March 29 March 31 April 2 April 5 April 7 April 9 April 12 5, 20 April 14 5, 20 April 16 April 19 6 April 21 April 23 6 April 26 April 28 April 30 4 May 3 May 5 May 7 May 10 2 May 12 May 14 May 17 May 19 May 21 8, 20 May 24 6 May 26 May 28 LECTURE What is paleobiology? And why should we care? What is the fossil record? How is it biased? Geology and geological time Biomineralization and paleobiogeochemistry Taphonomy and fossil preservation Individuals, ontogeny, and populations Species and speciation Phylogeny reconstruction and classification The tree of life and the fossil record of life Adaptation and functional morphology MIDTERM EXAM I Biomechanics: the physics of biology Evolutionary functional morphology Ecology and paleoecology Inferring paleoecology Evolutionary paleoecology Biogeography and plate tectonics Evolutionary paleobiogeography Biostratigraphy and the stratigraphic record Evolutionary biostratigraphy Macroevolution: what is it? MIDTERM EXAM II Rates of evolution and adaptive radiations Origination and diversification Developmental biology and the fossil record Extinctions as perturbations Mass extinctions and recoveries Ch. 7 Ch. 2 Ch. 5 Ch. 20 Ch. Ch. 6 Ch. 4, 19 READING Ch. 1 Ch. 3 Ch. 3

Ch. 2 Ch. 2, 3 Ch. 5, 20 Ch. Ch. Ch. 5, 20 Ch.

Ch.

Ch. 4 Ch. 2 Ch. 2 Ch.

Ch. Ch. Ch.

7 May 31 Memorial Day NO LECTURE June 2 Macroevolutionary trends June 8 FINAL EXAM: 8:00 - 10:00 AM in 1001 Giedt Hall

Ch. 5, 20

Logistics
Goals for the course: My primary goal is to help you develop a better appreciation for the nature of the fossil record, for deep time, and the study of evolution and paleobiology, and for the relevance of paleobiology to your life today. Class format: The class is organized around a standard lecture format. I encourage you to interrupt me to ask questions in class, even though the class is pretty large. I plan to show slides in lecture, so it is a good idea to come to class regularly to see what the slides illustrate. Expectations for class etiquette: When class begins, please stop your conversations. If you must arrive at class late or leave early, please do so as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. Cell phones should be turned off during class. Please show respect for me and for fellow classmates and do not engage in disruptive behavior: whispering or talking to others, reading the newspaper, or any other activity during lecture that would disturb others or interfere with the learning environment. Reading: The textbook for the class is recommended reading. My lectures will not cover exactly the same material as in the book; excessive detail is provided on some topics in the book while other topics are not covered at all. I will include course material from other sources in lectures as appropriate, so attending lecture regularly will ensure that you do not miss any information. I will not post Power Point presentations from my lectures on the class web page. The book is available at the UCD Bookstore. At least two copies of the book will be on 2-hour reserve at Shields Library. Check the course web site periodically for brief notes on the lectures for announcements, and other information that I would like you to know. Grading: Your grade will be based on your scores on the two midterms and the final exam; I grade on a curve. The exams will focus on material that I cover in lecture, and will include multiple choice, true/false, and short essay questions. The exams will be cumulative, but will emphasize more the material covered since the previous exam. Under exceptional circumstances, I allow exams to be taken early (e.g., if three finals are scheduled for June 8). Study habits: I strongly recommend that you attend lectures, read the book, and take notes during class. I will have some brief notes on the web for each lecture, but they cant take the place of your own notes, taken during class. If you must miss a class, you should attempt to find out what you missed. The material we cover in this class cannot be understood fully by rote memorization alone; it requires both analysis and synthesis of information. I plan to offer practice exams as worksheets and will schedule a review session before each exam. I do not return exams, but am happy to review your exam with you during office hours. If you have questions, I encourage you to come to my office hours, call to schedule an appointment if you cannot come during office hours, or send me an e-mail message. I check my e-mail often throughout the day and will make every effort to answer your questions within one day of their receipt. GEL 107L: GEL 107L is a separate 2-unit laboratory class that can be taken concurrently with GEL 107. Tova Michlin and Holly Schreiber are the Teaching Assistants for GEL 107L. The lab is required only for Geology majors, but taking it, no matter what your major, will very likely improve your understanding of the course material in GEL 107 and enrich your knowledge of the fossil record. It meets twice a week for 3 hours each, and emphasizes the hands-on study of fossils with exercises relating to the concepts we cover in GEL 107 lecture.
Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. Theodosius Dobzhansky The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos. Stephen Jay Gould (1941 - 2002)

Why has not anyone seen that fossils alone gave birth to a theory about the formation of the earth, that without them, no one would have ever dreamed that there were successive epochs in the formation of the globe. Georges Cuvier