PALEONTOLOGIA CON LABORATORIO 1

Module MODULO DI LABORATORIO DI PALEONTOLOGIA

Ability to know thoroughly binomial nomenclature and to understand systematics;

Ability to recognize fossils of the main taxa of marine invertebrates through the recognition of their main characters in samples of fossils and fossiliferous rocks.

Ability to recognize some species and some taxa at higher taxonomic rank, that are important at regional level.

Teaching will be carried following the plan reported below. In the remote presence of restrictions, necessary changes will be made, according to.the University rules.

1. lectures with PP presentations, diagrams and, possibly, films,

2. laboratories with examination of fossils and fossiliferous rocks in order to learn to observe, describe and recognize the fossils, both isolated and within rocks. During laboratories, we will also learn methods for the collection, processing and presentation of simple data to describe individual taxa and for the documentation and enhancement of the fossil heritage. Formation about how to search online for scientific purposes, mostly if the informatic room will be available for laboratories.

3. seminars by researchers from Italian or foreign Universities, who are specialists of particular topics. Possibly at least one on Cenozoic mammifers.

4. field excursion at the end of the course.

To guarantee equal opportunities and in compliance with the laws in force, students with disabilities and/or SLDs can ask for a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on the didactic objectives and specific needs.

It is also possible to contact the referent teacher CInAP (Center for Active and Participatory Integration - Services for Disabilities and/or SLD) of our Department, prof. Giorgio De Guidi.

At the request of students, topics of particular interest (or related topics) may be developed to carry out the final reports for the graduation.

Basic knowledge of zoology.

Mandatory.

To achieve attendance, it is necessary to attend at least 70% of the lessons, as required for all disciplines in the teaching rules of the course in Geological Sciences.

Attendance will be monitored directly by the teacher.

Structure, organisation and classification, and first information on autoecology, functional morfology and

stratigraphic distribution of selected taxa selezionati from marin environments. Introduction to

Cyanoficeae, Diatomeae, Radiolaria, Foraminifera, Coccolithophorida, Coralline algae; Tabulata,

Heliolithiida, Rugosa, Scleractinia, Octocorallia, Serpuloidea, Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Bivalvia,

Gastropoda, Cephalopoda, Bryozoa, Brachiopoda, Crinoidea, Echinoidea, Trilobita, Ostracoda, Cirripedia.

Some texts useful for invertebrate systematics are listed below but please, refer to the information on the texts of the Paleontology course (a course integrated with this one and with many texts in common) for further details.

AAVV edited by the Italian Paleontological Society. Manual of Paleontology. Fundamentals. Applications. Idelson Gnocchi, 2020.

Doyle P. 1996. Understanding fossils. An introduction to invertebrate paleontology. Wiley & sons.

Allasinaz A. 1991. General and systematic paleontology of invertebrates. ECIG.

Allasinaz A. 1999. Fossil invertebrates. User

Thìs examination is mainly based on the identification of fossils and fossiliferous rocks. It is integrated with that of the Paleontology course, to which please refer for further details.

1. What are the morphological characteristics used for the classification of irregular echinoids?

2. What are the morphological characteristics of bryozoans and what are the main characters used to distinguish the two classes we dealt with?

3. Similarities and differences between tetracorals and hexacorals.

4. What are the characteristics common to ammonoids and nautiloids and what characters are useful  to distinguish them?

5. Fossils characterized by the presence of two valves can be very distant taxonomically: which ones do you know and what are the differences?

6. What are the main characters we can use for  the distinction of the fossils of the unicellular organisms that we studied in the course?