BI2PB2: Palaeobiology

Module code: BI2PB2

Module provider: School of Biological Sciences

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Brian Pickles, email: b.j.pickles@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Andrew Meade, email: a.meade@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Palaeobiology is a truly interdisciplinary field that integrates concepts drawn from geology and biology. Zoologists and ecologists with an interest in evolutionary history and the fossil record, especially palaeontology of dinosaurs and other reptiles, will find this module provides valuable context for their studies of modern organisms and ecosystems.

Palaeobiology is an international discipline and this course has a global context beyond the concepts being taught. Samples for fossil ID have been collected from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada, and kindly loaned to UoR by the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. You will have the opportunity to interact remotely with researchers and graduate students from different parts of the world including Australia (University of New England) and Canada (Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology).

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Explain the links and interactions between the evolution of life, mass extinctions, geological history, and palaeoclimates
2. Summarise the taphonomic processes the lead to fossilization and what they mean for our understanding of biodiversity through time
3. Discuss the value of the fossil record for informing our understanding of the modern world
4. Apply field, lab, and statistical approaches to the study of palaeobiology

Module content

You will learn about the principles of palaeontology and palaeoecology with lectures covering diverse topics including palaeoclimate archives and proxies, taphonomy, palaeobiodiversity, stratigraphy, palaeobiogeography, life histories and biology of extinct species, macroevolution, extinction, and the fossil record and earth history. You will gain field skills such as mapping, excavation, fossil preparation and extraction, with trips to nearby sites of Palaeobiological significance such as the Jurassic Coast and the Isle of Wight. You will also gain skills in fossil identification, specimen curation, and modern analytical techniques.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The learning outcomes will be met through a mixture of lectures, seminars, field trips, field work, practical skills training, laboratory work, phylogenetics, self-directed learning and directed independent study. Appropriate supplementary information and reading lists will be provided on Blackboard.  

Students will engage in discussion with peers and staff regarding topics they are studying, as well as online seminars with researchers working in different areas of palaeontology, palaeoecology, and palaeobiology. Students will work together on field trips and in practical classes to gain a range of skills needed for modern palaeobiological research. 

Study hours

At least 72 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will be given figures drawn from the palaeo-literature and asked to annotate them and explain what they show (~ Week 4 and Week 8). 

Reassessment

Additional costs