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PALEONTOLOGIA CON LABORATORIO 1
Module MODULO DI LABORATORIO DI PALEONTOLOGIA

Academic Year 2024/2025 - Teacher: Emanuela DI MARTINO

Expected Learning Outcomes

Ability to master binomial nomenclature and understand the organization of systematics.

Ability to recognize fossils of the main marine invertebrate taxa by identifying their key characteristics in fossil samples and fossiliferous rocks.

Ability to recognize certain species and higher taxa that are important at a primarily regional level.

Course Structure

1. PowerPoint presentations to introduce the different groups.

2. Lab activities to examine fossils and fossiliferous rocks to learn how to observe, describe, and identify fossils, both isolated and within rocks. During these labs, we will also learn methods for collecting, processing, and presenting simple data to describe individual taxa and for documenting and valuing the fossil heritage.

3. Field excursion, if possible, integrated with the Paleontology course.

Required Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of zoology.

Attendance of Lessons

See the information provided for the integrated Paleontology course.

Attendance for the Laboratory is mandatory and even more crucial than in the Paleontology course due to the unique opportunity it offers students to see and handle fossils.

Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to miss any sessions.

Detailed Course Content

Structure, organization, and classification, as well as basic information on autoecology, functional morphology, and stratigraphic distribution of selected taxa from marine environments.

Introduction to Cyanophyceae, Diatoms, Radiolaria, Foraminifera, Coccolithophorida, Coralline Algae; Tabulata, Heliolithiida, Rugosa, Scleractinia, Octocorallia, Serpuloidea, Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Cephalopoda, Bryozoa, Brachiopoda, Crinoidea, Echinoidea, Trilobita, Ostracoda, Cirripedia, Graptolitina.

Textbook Information

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

AAVV a cura della Società Paleontologica Italiana. Manuale di Paleontologia. Fondamenti. Applicazioni. Idelson Gnocchi, 2020.

Benton M. & Harper D. 2020. Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record. Wiley-Blackwell.

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

The exam includes the identification of fossils and fossiliferous rocks. It is integrated with the Paleontology course, for which additional details are provided.

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

What are the morphological characters used for the classification of irregular echinoids?

What are the morphological characters of bryozoans, and what are the main features used to distinguish between the two classes we have studied?

Affinities and differences between tabulate corals and rugose corals.

Common features of ammonites and nautiloids, and characters useful for distinguishing between them.

Fossils characterized by the presence of two valves can be taxonomically distant: which ones do you know, and what are the differences between them?

Main features used to distinguish the fossils of unicellular organisms that we studied in the course.

VERSIONE IN ITALIANO