Survey of Paleontology Course Content

We are interested in finding out what topics are typically taught in undergraduate paleontology courses for geology and/or biology majors. The following list of topics is not meant to be exhaustive but rather is based on typical textbook coverage. Please respond based on what you actually teach in your course, not on what you wish you could cover. Also, this survey is not designed for gen-ed, topical intro, or historical geology-type courses. If you teach paleontology only in these types of courses, please do not fill out the survey.

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Full Name (optional):
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Course demographicsMy paleontology course is listed as a

The students in my paleontology course are

This course is

Please check to what extent you cover the following topics in your paleontology course (lecture, activities, assignments, lab, and field). If you have not yet taught a course in palentology, please check the topics you anticipate including.

Preservation/TaphonomyBiomineralization

Modes of preservation

Biostratinomy

Taphonomic processes

Megabiases in fossil record

Systematics and Phylogenetic ReconstructionLinnean nomenclature

Phylogenetic nomenclature (e.g., PhyloCode)

Type concept

Nature of higher taxa

Phenetics

Cladistics

Speciation

Growth and Form/MorphometricsModes of growth (accretionary, molting, etc.)

Sources of variation

Morphometrics

Morphospace concepts

Functional morphology

Biomechanics

EvolutionPre-Darwinian concepts

Darwin biography

Mechanism of natural selection (i.e., how it works)

Evidence for evolution

Phyletic gradualism

Punctuated equilibrium

Evolutionary rates

Species sorting and species selection

Macroevolutionary trends

Extinction and BiodiversityBackground vs. mass extinctions

Causes of extinction

Ecological impacts of extinction

Macroevolutionary impacts of extinction

Periodicity of mass extinctions

Details of specific extinction events

Sepkoski curve of Phanerozoic marine biodiversity

Exponential and logistic models of biodiversity increase

Paleoecology and Ancient EnvironmentsAutecology

Organism-organism interactions (e.g., predation, epibionts)

Community concepts

Sampling methods

Quantitative analysis of paleocommunities

Evolutionary paleoecology (e.g., onshore-offshore, tiering, guilds, escalation)

Use of (bio)geochemical techniques in autecology (e.g., diet)

Use of (bio)geochemical techniques for paleoenvironmental reconstruction

Use of paleontological techniques for paleoenvironmental reconstruction

Biostratigraphy and PaleobiogeographyPrinciples of correlation

Types of zones

Specific index fossils

Graphic correlation

Statistical analysis of range data

CONOP

Dispersal vs. vicariance

Island biogeography

Phylogenetic biogeography

Paleobiogeography and plate tectonics

Specific taxaMicrobial structures

Eukaryotic microfossils

Sponges

Cnidarians

Bryozoans

Brachiopods

Molluscs

Arthropods

Echinoderms

Chordates

Plants

Trace fossils

Specific eventsOrigin of life

Origin of eukaryotes

Origin of metazoans

Cambrian Explosion

Invasion of land - plants

Invasion of land - animals

Permo-Triassic mass extinction

Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction

Origin of humans

Quaternary ice age

Field techniquesGeneral field skills (e.g., map reading, taking strikes and dips, etc.)

Identifying fossil taxa in the field

Invertebrate collecting techniques (e.g., bulk sampling)

Vertebrate collecting techniques

Microfossil collecting techniques

Taphonomic and/or paleoecological data collection and field interpretation

Sedimentological and/or stratigraphic data collection and field interpretation

To what extent do you use the following in your paleontology course?Online databases (e.g., Paleobiology Database)

Online museum collections

Virtual field trips

Streaming videos, blogs, wikis, photo sharing and/or social networking sites

Online library resources (e.g., GeoRef, electronic journals)

Image creation, editing, analysis software (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, ImageJ)

General statistics, graphing software (e.g., PAST, SAS, JMP, Kaleidagraph)

Phylogenetic software (e.g., PAUP, MacClade)

Morphometric software (e.g., digitizing, analysis software)

Malacology survey

Molluscan classification has changed significantly since Thiele proposed the classic molluscan classification system in 1935, and the classification scheme continues to change as new phylogenies are published. Warren Allmon at PRI is interested in finding out which molluscan classification systems are currently presented in undergraduate courses in order to inform discussions on how to teach changing classification schemes effectively.

In what course(s) do you teach malacology or aspects of malacology? Please check all that apply.

An invertebrate paleontology course
An invertebrate zoology course
A malacology course

When did you last teach malacology or aspects of malacology?
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What textbook did you use?
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What system do you teach?

If you present a current classification system, which one do you present?
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How do you stay current with changes in molluscan relationships/classification? Please check all that apply.

The primary literature
Colleagues and meetings
Web sites, postings, blogs, etc.
Graduate students
I don't stay current in malacology

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