The main aim of this course is to illustrate how large scale abiotic processes reshaped the evolutionary history of biota and their communities and how, in turn, the changes in biota (as evidenced by the fossil record) inform us about past environmental changes.
The students will learn:
- To work with (large) dataset for qualitative and quantitative paleo-reconstructions, decide the best strategy to simplify complex the data and validate data by means of statistical analyses;
- To integrate multi-proxies data providing the student with a broad vision on time scales and simultaneous changes in different environments (terrestrial and marine);
- To think critically about the potentials and pitfalls of the various methods used and decide which method is most suitable to find the adequate solution
- Written and verbal communication skills by means of presenting data as written reports and oral presentations
- To work individually and in teams (leadership skills)
- Technical skills (e.g., microscope, computer software)
- To critically analyze literature as presented in scientific papers and reported in the media (social media and/or press, etc.) thereby learning how reliably (and how ethically) scientific information are presented to a wide audience.
|
 |
|
|
The course deals with the evolution, biology and ecology of selected marine microorganisms and terrestrial vegetation and their use as fossils for past environmental and climate reconstructions during the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic. The course will focus on organic and calcareous microscopic remains/fossils (foraminifers, dinoflagellates, pollen and spores). Much attention will be given to the importance of linking changes occurred simultaneously in the marine and terrestrial environment. The course also deals with the (biologically-mediated) process of incorporation of chemical elements into foraminifer shells and thus shells’ chemical composition as proxy for reconstructions of past water column properties.
Next to fundamental knowledge on evolution, paleoecology, and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, the course will train the students’ taxonomical skills. Students will learn to work with complex data, to perform quantitative and statistical analyses, to think critically, and to present their results orally. All these skills are desired and/or required for successful job applications.
|
|
|