| Unit name | Evolutionary Palaeobiology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASC30081 |
| Credit points | 40 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Vinther |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Successful completion of a Year 2 Earth Sciences programme. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
The history of life can be read from three fundamentally different sources of data: (i) fossils—the remains of organisms from a past time, (ii) DNA—the informative macromolecule found in genomes, and (iii) the geological impact of organismal activity recorded in the sedimentological and geochemical rock records. Fossils inform us about the age and morphology of extinct organisms while DNA is especially powerful in resolving evolutionary relationships. To achieve greater power, DNA and fossil data can be integrated and contrasted within a phylogenetic framework to generate a holistic view of the history of life, which is the fundamental goal of palaeontology. Biogeochemical signatures and changes in lithology reflect how organisms bioengineered Earth. This unit will teach you how to achieve this goal combining all relevant geological and biological information to resolve problems in the study of the evolution of life. Fieldwork to Isle of Wight/Iberian Cordillera will provide learners with an understanding of how sedimentological and palaeontological information documents environmental conditions in a taphonomic context to enhance their perspective on the nature of the rock record.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The BSc Palaeobiology program aims to develop well rounded palaeontologists and evolutionary biologists that can use all available information to solve problems of evolutionary relevance. In this context, Evolutionary Palaeobiology will provide you the knowledge necessary to integrate data into an appropriate evolutionary context and test hypotheses of palaeontological relevance. The fieldwork gives the students an enhanced ability to make observations in the field through detailed sedimentological logging, as well as collecting and identify fossils to interpret palaeoenvironmental and taphonomic conditions.
An overview of content
You will learn about modern statistical phylogenetic methods in parsimony, Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood frameworks. You will learn about molecular clock methods, that integrate fossil information into molecular phylogenies to infer evolutionary timescales and you will learn about ancestral character state reconstruction methods, which use dated phylogenies to infer the likely shared, conserved morphology of living organisms. You will learn about the origin and early evolution of animals, serving as a case study for introducing phylogenetic methods, and how to test evolutionary hypotheses, integrating evidence from different areas of science. You will learn how to assemble molecular and morphological datasets, and how to analyse them. You will also learn about how sedimentological and geochemical data reflect fundamental changes to the biosphere precipitated by the evolution of ecosystem engineers and of trophic chains. During the residential fieldwork (Isle of Wight/ Iberian Cordillera), learners will obtain confidence in their ability to make taphonomic and sedimentological observations for classifying lithologies and inferring facies and palaeoenvironments.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
By the end of the unit, you will be able to assess the data and methods underpinning phylogenetic studies, as well as their results and the interpretations derived from them; you will also be able to design your own phylogenetic studies, assembling appropriate datasets and analyses to test evolutionary hypotheses. You will also learn to take the knowledge of the timing and evolutionary patterns of organismal evolution to understand how the biosphere and geosphere changed through Earth history. The students will also become better field geologists and learn how to make reproducible field observations.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
Teaching will combine practicals and lectures. Practicals will consolidate lecture material and provide inquiry- and problem-based exercises, with some applied content. Guided background reading will also be provided.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
Continuous Assessment Exercise (Infographic): Mid way through the unit you will complete the analysis of a published phylogenetic dataset provided to you. You will create a graphical abstract (an infographic), to efficiently summarise your methods, results, and conclusions. Formative group feedback will be provided to the class. This work will prepare you for your summative assessment, where you will have to prepare publication quality figures presenting the results of your independent studies.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
Penalties for exceeding the specific word and/or page limit will be applied.
When assessment does not go to plan
The University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes outline the requirements for progression on and completion of degree programmes. Students who miss an exam and self-certify their absence may complete a supplementary assessment for an uncapped mark as if taken for the first time. Resit and supplementary exams are habitually taken during the reassessment period later in the summer. As far as is practicable and appropriate, resit and supplementary assessments will be in the same form as the original assessment but will always test the same intended learning outcomes as the initial missed or failed assessment. In the case of group work, failure by a whole group would result in an appropriate group task being set and reassessed for all group members. If a single student fails a group assessment or is unable to participate for an evidenced reason, an individual reassessment will be set.
There are rigorous and fair procedures in place to support students who are ill or whose studies and assessments are affected by exceptional circumstances.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EASC30081).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
