Learning objectives
<br />The course deals with marine paleoecology and its objective is to show how fossils can be used for paleoenviromental reconstruction at level of individual, population and community.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
<br />- Introduction (history, definitions and subdivision of paleoecology; relationships between ecology and paleoecology);<br />- Basic concepts of ecology and the marine ecosystem (physical environments, life modes and trophic strategies of marine organisms, <br />- Environmental control on organism distribution in the marine environments;<br />- Taxonomic uniformism and functional morphology;<br />- Fossils as environmental indicators;<br />- Paleoenviromental reconstruction at population and community levels;<br />- Quantitaive analysis of fossils assemblages<br />- Applications: examples of paleoenviromental/paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic reconstructions based on foraminifera and molluscs.<br />
Full programme
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Bibliography
<br />1) Brenchley P.J. & Harper D.A.T., 1998. Palaeoecology: ecosystem, environments and evolution. Chapman & Hall.<br />2) Goldring R., 1991. Fossils in the field. Information potential and analysis. Longman Scientific &Technical.<br />3) Raffi S. & Serpagli E., 1993. Introduzione alla Paleontologia. Utet.<br />4) Murray J.W., 1993. Ecology and paleoecology of benthic foraminifera. Longman Scientific &Technical.<br />5) Pinet P.R., 1998. Invitation to Oceanography. Jones & Bartlett.<br />6) Odum E.P., 1988. Basi di Ecologia. Piccin Editore.
Teaching methods
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Other information
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