Geological History of Life on Earth - 2020 entry

This course provides an overview of the key evolutionary developments of life, from the earliest fossils and the Cambrian Explosion, to the colonization of land and air by plants, insects, mammals, reptiles and birds, and the evolution of hominids. We will investigate the role of mass extinctions and climate change in the development of the tree of life, long term changes to biodiversity and macroevolutionary patterns, and the specific role of palaeontology to evolutionary theory. This includes examination of marine and terrestrial biotic evolution from micropalaeontology. This module will introduce numerical and geochemical methods used to investigate the fossil record and uncover its evolution, palaeobiology and palaeoenvironment. 

You must have previously studied Earth History and Palaeontology (CSM1035) and Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (CSM2183) in order to undertake this module. It is therefore unsuitable for non-specialist students and is not recommended for interdisciplinary pathways unless the prerequisite modules have been studied.

This module aims to provide an overview and understanding of the tree of life, including the most important evolutionary developments and major extinctions, to assess long term changes in biodiversity and the fossil record. Students will gain practical experience of the methods used in palaeontology and micropalaeontology, and appreciation of the importance of preservation.



On successful completion of this module you should be able to:



Module Specific Skills and Knowledge



1. Describe the major developments in the evolution of life

2. Demonstrate knowledge of evolution within the major fossil groups

3. Interpret palaeontological data with respect to family trees, palaeobiology and palaeoecology

4. Describe the contribution of palaeontology to our understanding of evolution

5. Describe the environmental and biological impact of major extinction events

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge


6. Demonstrate knowledge of the stratigraphical importance of palaeontology

7. Explain the geological methods used to collect and analyse fossils

Personal and Key Transferable / Employment Skills and Knowledge


8. Collect and integrate different types of datasets and report the results accordingly

9. Demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate scientific data

1. History of life, evolution from earliest beginnings to Cambrian Explosion and modern fauna

2. Evolutionary theory, convergence, divergence, etc.

3. Evolution of plants including pollen

4. Vertebrate skeleton, fish to reptiles

5. Evolutionary history of insects

6. Marine extinction and revolution (Permian-Triassic), rise of Mesozoic oceans and microplankton (foraminifera, radiolarians and coccoliths

7. Cenozoic oceans and plankton (diatoms, dinoflagellates)

8. Reptiles, dinosaurs, including exceptional preservation

9. Mammal evolution and hominids, intelligence

10. Constructing family trees

11. Palaeobiological dataset techniques

12. Micropalaeontological investigation

Basic reading:

 

ELE: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

 



Web based and Electronic Resources:

 



Other Resources:

 

Reading list for this module: