Paleobiology

Catalog description

Fossils are a fundamental component of the rock record and provide the only direct evidence of past life on Earth. They provide basic information for both geologists and biologists on topics like climate change, tectonic plate motion, the evolution of biological novelty, the nature of mass extinction, and the history of biodiversity. They are also increasingly used to establish natural baselines to inform modern conservation efforts. This course represents a process and systems-based study of the marine and terrestrial fossil record. The course will focus on preservation and taphonomy, macroevolution, biomechanics, paleoecology, ecomorphology, biogeography, and the extinction of biotas in the context of the environmental history of Earth. The course format consists of a mix of lecture, discussion, and lab activities. This course will additionally take advantage of connections with the Turkana Basin Institute here at Stony Brook University, where researchers play an important role in understanding the evolution and paleoecology of East African ecosystems, including that of our own ancestors.