Program Overview

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PALEONTOLOGIA

Course Description

The Paleontologia course focuses on the study of fossils, which are the remains or traces of ancient organisms. This field of study aims to reconstruct the evolutionary path of life on Earth, from the first organisms to current communities. It analyzes the role of fossils in reconstructing paleoenvironments and as evidence for the study of evolution, utilizing fossils as tools for dating rocks.

Educational Objectives

The primary educational objectives of this course are:

• To acquire the basics for the study of fossils through the recognition of fossilization processes, the analysis of diagnostic characters of the main invertebrate, plant, and microfossil groups.
• To learn and correlate the evolution of the biosphere with the main climatic changes in Earth's history.

Detailed Educational Objectives and Learning Outcomes

For students of Geological Sciences and Natural Sciences:

• The student will be able to describe fossil samples of the most common organisms and, based on this description, recognize the main structural and morphological characteristics of each taxonomic group.
• The student will have to classify the sample as accurately as possible based on the taxonomic categories illustrated during frontal lessons and laboratory exercises.
• The student will be able to connect fossils and environment and interpret the evolution of a single paleoenvironment in a stratigraphic context.

Teaching Methods

The course is divided into theoretical lessons and practical exercises, both in the classroom and in the field. For the first semester, lessons will be held possibly in presence, ensuring that they can also be attended remotely through video recording, synchronously or asynchronously. Exercises on samples will be organized possibly in presence, eventually with multiple shifts.

Program/Content

The course is divided into two main blocks:

1. Introductory Block: Covers the main basic concepts in paleontology and its principal applications.
2. Systematic Block: Focuses on the systematic study of the following taxonomic groups, morphology, and diagnostic characters of the main taxa; stratigraphic range of the main taxa.

Texts/Bibliography

• Allasinaz A. Paleontologia generale e sistematica degli invertebrati ECIG
• Benton & Harper: Paleobiology and the fossil record
• Raffi S. & Serpagli E. Introduzione alla paleontologia UTET
• Manuale di paleontologia - IdelsonGnocchi editore.

Teachers and Commissions

• Professor: Antonino Briguglio
• Commission:
  • Antonino Briguglio (President)
  • Andrea Baucón
  • Victor Manuel Giraldo Gómez
  • Michele Piazza (Supplente)
  • Laura Federico (Supplente)

Lessons

• Start of Lessons: Consult the detailed schedule at the provided link.
• Lesson Schedule:

Exams

• Exam Method: Oral
• Assessment Method: Oral exam with morphological examination of samples (macroscopic invertebrates and plants and microfacies in thin sections) and related discussion on paleoecological and biostratigraphic relationships.

Other Information

• Regular attendance is strongly recommended, especially for classroom and field exercises.
• Students must provide themselves with suitable clothing for excursions (hiking boots) and a magnifying glass.