Please note: Due to alternative arrangements for teaching and
assessment in place from 18 March 2020 to mitigate against the restrictions in
place due to COVID-19, information shown for 2019/20 may not always be accurate.
Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information
for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
| Unit name |
Macroevolution |
| Unit code |
EASC30066 |
| Credit points |
10 |
| Level of study |
H/6
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2C (weeks 13 - 18)
|
| Unit director |
Professor. Mike Benton |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
Mandatory units in years 1 and 2 of a degree programme in Environmental Geoscience, Geology or Palaeontology and Evolution at Bristol.
There are no pre-requisites for MSc Palaeobiology students
|
| Co-requisites |
n/a
|
| School/department |
School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Science |
Description including Unit Aims
This unit focuses on macroevolution, the large patterns of evolution of life on Earth. It is an interdisciplinary unit, drawing material from palaeontology, stratigraphy, sedimentology and evolution. The focus is on tackling deep-time questions concerning global change and the origins of biodiversity. A clear focus is given to current debates and the evidence on either side of debated issues, so students can read widely in the current literature and understand the nature of different kinds of evidence and their meaning. Clear links are made to current environmental crises.
The whole unit is presented in terms of numerical tests, and the practical series is a focused course in R, covering introduction to the basics of R programming, producing graphs, and using a range of current techniques to explore rates and models of evolution, diversity, palaeobiogeography, and sudden events.
The main aims are:
- to understand changing views on the on the broad patterns of the history of life
- to summarise current methods of dating and sequencing rocks
- to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the rock and fossil records
- to consider different models for the diversification of life
- to understand the contributions of palaeontological data to modern evolutionary theory
- to evaluate the role of catastrophes in earth history
- to apply numerical methods in macroevolution and macroecology
Intended Learning Outcomes
On completion, you should be able to:
- analyse and apply appropriate numerical methods to macroevolutionary problems
- document the major stages in the history of life and of the Earth, and present models for diversification of life
- Debate the nature and causes of the major mass extinction events, and how they are studied
- deduce links from longer-term processes to current human-induced crises on the earth
- calculate rates of evolution, estimate models of evolution, compare time series, and apply other numerical methods in macroevolution
- debate evidence for and against gaps in the rock and fossil records
Teaching Information
Lectures and practicals
Assessment Information
Examination 50% (2 hours)
Coursework 50%
The exam consists of one hour of compulsory short answers and one hour of extended essay choice.
The coursework consists of:
- a series of practical exercises using programs in R, through two 3-hour practicals, with support
- a write-up of the results in the form of a Biology Letters paper (up to 1500 words)
Assessment is based on proficiency with R, evidence of understanding macroevolutionary meaning of the results, and presentation quality.
Reading and References
Recommended
- Benton, M.J. and Harper, D.A.T., (2019) Introduction to Paleobiology & the Fossil Record, 2nd Edition, Wiley
Further reading
- Briggs, D. E. G. and Crowther, P. R., (2001) Palaeobiology II, Blackwells, Oxford
- Stanley, S. M. (2014) Earth system history, 4th edition. W. H. Freeman, San Francisco
