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CLFS 609F: PRINCIPLES OF PALEOBIOLOGY |
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Syllabus The organisms currently living on the Earth
represent the tiniest fraction of those that have existed.
Reconstructing the life styles of these extinct organisms requires a
suite of sophisticated techniques that are conceptually more akin to
forensics, than to those typically used in studying living
organisms. This course (1) surveys the methodologies used by
paleobiologists to investigate the biology of extinct animals and (2)
uses these techniques to assess the plausibility of a number of
current, and in many cases, highly controversial reconstructions for
diverse range of animals.
MODULE 2
Grading Course grades are based on a cooperative learning model with participants assigned to study groups for each of the ten units within the course. At the end of every unit, each study group will electronically submit its written reconstruction of their selected animal for grading. For the first four units (= module 1), all groups will reconstruct the same animal. For units 5-10, each groups is free to select any of the three listed animals for reconstruction. To facilitate work on the reconstructions and to assess individual contributions to reconstructions, the following time table will be followed: Monday: The new unit becomes available online. Thursday: Individual drafts of the unit reconstruction are due. Sunday: Final reconstruction is due. The grade for each reconstruction will be based on both the submitted reconstruction and each individual's contributions to this reconstruction. The submitted reconstructions will be graded on a 10 point scale, with the grade determined by its overall scope and completeness. Like the group grade, individual grades are based on 10 points. However, the grading for individual contributions is more complicated: 2 points for submitting an individual draft of the reconstruction to the group's discussion space. 2 points for completing the individual reconstruction on time (i.e., by Thursday). 4 points for actively participating in group discussions during the completion of the final reconstruction to be submitted for grading. Active participation will be defined as providing two substantive suggestions that move the discussion forward. Comments such as "I don't think this portion of the answer is clear. Perhaps we should rewrite it as ...", or "I think ______ is more important to this process and we should place greater emphasis on it." would be substansive and would clearly indicate active participation. Responses such as "Good job!" or "I completely agree." would not be considered substansive. 2 points for work beyond the minimum necessary for completing the reconstruction. For example, someone who made more than the minimum two substansive suggestions during the completion of the final reconstruction or who took the lead in writing the final reconstruction would receive these points. Note that if someone does the minimium work for a reconstruction (i.e., submits an individual response, submits it on time, and provides two substansive suggestions during the drafting of the final reconstruction), they would receive a total of 8 points (= 80%, or a B) for the individual portion of the unit discussion question. To receive an A for this portion of the grade, they would need to do work beyond the minimum and earn the remaining 2 points. In summary, each unit is graded on the basis of 20 points (10 points group grade and 10 points individual grade). Since there are ten units in the course, the course grade will be based on a total of 200 points. Readings The basic course readings are contained in a webtext residing within the course website. The table of contents for the webtext provides an overview of the topics covered in the course: 1. Introduction 1.1. Reconstructing the Past 1.1.1. Analogies 1.1.2. Modeling 1.1.3. Contextural Evidence 1.1.4. Cladistics 1.2. Levels of Reliability 1.3. Fossilization 1.3.1. Life History of a Fossil 1.3.2. Informational Biases 1.3.3. Preservational Processes 1.4. Principles of Animal Design 1.4.1. Symmetry 1.4.2. Development 1.4.3. Muscles 1.4.4. Sense Organs 1.4.5. Metabolism 1.4.6. Thermoregulation 2. The Problems of Size 2.1. Simple Shapes 2.1.1. General Measurement Equation 2.1.2. Dimensional Decoupling 2.1.3. Isometric vs. Allometric Growth 2.1.4. Allometric Scaling 2.2. Complex Shapes 2.2.1. Non-Integral Dimensions 2.2.2. Fractal Measurement Equation 2.2.3. Fractal Scaling 2.3. Size & Motion 2.3.1. Geometric Similarity 2.3.2. Reynolds & Froude Numbers 3. The Quest For Speed 3.1. Adaptations to Sessilility 3.2. Biomechanics of Swimming 3.2.1. Streamlining 3.2.2. Fineness & Aspect Ratios 3.2.3. Recoil Swimming 3.2.4. Axial Swimming 3.2.5. Appendicular Swimming 3.3. Biomechanics of Running 3.3.1. Leg Postures 3.3.2. Foot Postures 3.3.3. Stride Length & Gaits 3.3.4. Leaping & Hopping 3.4. Biomechanics of Flying 3.4.1. Airfoils 3.4.2. Aspect Ratio & Wing Loading 3.4.3. Passive Flight 3.4.4. Flapping Flight 3.4.5. Soaring Flight 4. Ingestion By Any Means Possible 4.1. Suspension-Feeding 4.1.1. Sieving 4.1.2. Aerosol Filtration Theory 4.2. Mechanical Advantage & Closing Velocity 4.3. Herbivory vs. Carnivory 4.3.1. Jaw Morphology 4.3.2. Tooth Morphology 4.3.3. Sense Organs 4.3.4. Digestive Tracts 4.4. Dietary Evidence 4.4.1. Coprolites & Cololites 4.4.2. Bite Marks 4.4.3. Tooth Microwear 4.4.4. Phytoliths 4.4.5. Molecular Signatures 5. Case Study 1: Lobopods 5.1. Cambrian Revolution 5.2. Systematics 6. Case Study 2: Paleozoic Sharks 5.1. Diversification of Devonian Fishes 5.2. Systematics 7. Case Study 3: Early Amphibians 5.1. Problems of Invading Land 5.2. Systematics 8. Case Study 4: Theropods 5.1. Carnosaurs vs. Tyrannosaurs 5.2. Systematics 9. Case Study 5: Mesozoic Birds 5.1. Evolution of Flight 5.2. Systematics 10. Case Study 6: Whales 5.1. Problems for Aquatic Mammals 5.2. Systematics |
