History of Life on Earth
Biology 303-11010
Tuesday and Thursdays 8:00-9:15
Textor 101
Instructor: Robert Ross (Paleontological Research Institution)
Office hours: Th 9:30-11:00 am, in Center for Natural Sciences Rm 163
PRI contact information: 1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
tel 273 6623 x18
FAX 273 6620
Ithaca College contact info: Center for Natural Sciences, Biology Dept mailbox
You choose the relative weighting of your grade; total must add up to 100%. The point is that if you feel you are stronger at test taking, or at project-type application, you can control the weighting a bit. Grades for each item below will be adjusted (curved) so that the mean and distribution are similar, so that, for example, tests aren’t easier to do well on than projects (or vice versa).
Mid-term and final will be partially “take home”
Mid-term: Minimum 15% Maximum: 30% Your choice _______
Final: Minimum 25% Maximum: 40% Your choice _______
Media exercises: Minimum 10% Maximum: 30% Your choice _______
Web-site Project: Minimum 15% Maximum: 40% Your choice _______
3 quizzes: Minimum: 5% Maximum: 10% Your choice _______
TOTAL 100%
About
The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI):
The
Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) is a natural history museum on “West
Hill,” about 2 miles north of the City of Ithaca, on Route 96 (just south of
the Cayuga Medical Center). PRI has one
of the largest research collections of fossils in North America, publishes
technical journals in paleontology, has an extensive library in paleontology
and related subjects. PRI also has a very active exhibits and education
program. PRI is in the process of
planning for a major new exhibits and education facility to be called the
Museum of the Earth, which may be finished as early as next summer.
Many students from Cornell, Ithaca College, and other colleges work and study at PRI, as work-study students, interns, volunteers, and thesis students. These students have worked on everything from exhibits and educational programming to scientific research and collections care to fund raising and public relations. Special student skills put to use have included computer programming, art, writing, and many others. These are real life applications, serving thousands of real people and impacting PRI’s reputation, so all positions require substantial commitment and personal motivation. If you are interested in looking into working with PRI, we’d be delighted to hear from you.
Biology 303-11010
Syllabus
Please note: this schedule is subject to change
|
1 Th Aug 30 |
The history of life in perspective; paleontologists as detectives, as biologists and geologists |
|
2 Tu Sep 4 |
How we know about the past; clues from sediments and fossils |
|
3 Th Sep 6 |
How we know about the past; stratigraphy, numerical dating |
|
4 Tu Sep 11 |
Time scale quiz, The first 1/2 of the history of life: bacterial record (4-2 Ga) |
|
5 Th Sep 13 |
Time scale quiz, The next ¼ of the history of life (2-0.7 Ga) |
|
6 Tu Sep 18 |
Animals and plants emerge (0.7-0.5 Ga, Ediacara, snowball Earth) |
|
7 Th Sep 20 |
Diversity in animals and plants (Meaning of “diversity,” higher and lower taxa) |
|
8 Tu Sep 25 |
Diversification of animal life (0.6-0.5 Ga, Cambrian revolution) |
|
9 Th Sep 27 |
Ancient seas over New York (plate tectonics, sea level and climate change) |
|
10 Tu Oct 2 |
Ancient seas over New York (Devonian seas; Paleozoic life, sharks and fish) |
|
11 Th Oct 4 |
Land life expands (land plants and animals; fossil energy: coal, petroleum) |
|
12 Tu Oct 9 |
The end of an era (mass extinction, formation of supercontinent, major reptile groups) |
|
13 Th Oct 11 |
New life on land and sea (Mesozoic marine life and verts, including dinosaurs) |
|
14 Tu Oct 16 |
Mid-term |
|
xx Th Oct 18 |
Fall Break |
|
15 Tu Oct 23 |
Class survey, discussion of preliminary results on midterm |
|
16 Th Oct 25 |
Review of midterm, esp. questions 1-6 |
|
17 Tu Oct 30 |
Early history of dinosaurs (Late Triassic-Early Jurassic; early theropods, “thecodonts”) |
|
18 Th Nov 1 |
Jurassic dinosaurs (theropods, sauropods, stegosaurs) |
|
19 Tu Nov 6 |
Mammalian history, featuring mastodon [John Chiment lecturing] |
|
20 Th Nov 8 |
Mesozoic history of plants [Alejandra Gandolfo lecturing] |
|
21 Tu Nov 13 |
Early Cretaceous dinosaurs (large theropods, small ceratopsians) |
|
22 Th Nov 15 |
[time scale quiz] Late Creaceous dinosaurs (large theropods, hadrosaurs, large ceratopsians) |
|
xx Tu Nov 20 |
Thanksgiving week |
|
xx Th Nov 22 |
Thanksgiving week |
|
23 Tu Nov 27 |
Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction (varying ideas, impact hypothesis) |
|
24 Th Nov 29 |
Marine reptiles, Mesozoic marine invertebrates (highlighting pliosaurs and ichthyosaurs) |
|
25 Tu Dec 4 |
Petrosaurs; birds-dinosaurs, evolutionary mechanisms |
|
26 Th Dec 6 |
Evolutionary patterns, diversification of life |
|
27 Tu Dec 11 |
Post-glacial paleontology: Mastodon excavation |
|
28 Th Dec 13 |
Hominid fossil record, overkill hypothesis; exam review |
|
Dec 19 8 pm |
Exam review |
|
Dec 21 7:30 am |
Final exam |