Practical work (30%)

Practical work constitutes a large proportion of the unit, and the weekly prac sessions are intended to lead on from the lecture. All prac sessions will be up to 3 hours in duration. The prac sessions will held in E5A 220 on Mondays from 2.00 to 5.00 pm each week. Students are expected to attend the prac session every single week and you must attend at least seven pracs to pass the unit. If you attend fewer, you will automatically be failed.

Assessment of the prac sessions will be based on completion of an online quiz available after the end of each prac session. The quizzes also cover much information only to be found in the lectures. Therefore, if you do not attend the lectures you will likely not perform well on the quizzes.

The weekly pracs will alternate between hands-on surveys of fossils and more paper- and computer-based exercises that introduce the core methods of analytical palaeobiology. All students of palaeontology should have a basic understanding of these concepts and techniques. You will be provided with the skills to not only conduct your own analyses but to also critically assess those in the literature.

Week 1's lecture includes an introduction to the unit and a discussion of the history of palaeobiology. There is no prac.

Week 2's lecture and prac will detail a key method of producing time scales based on occurrences of fossils within stratigraphic sections.

Week 3 will involve surveying disparate marine invertebrate fossils in order to understand the timing and origins of multicellular animals during the Ediacaran, the development of animal body plans, and the dramatic radiation of phyla during the Cambrian Explosion. The lecture will concern the major approaches used to study large-scale patterns of morphological evolution.

The week 4 prac involves quantifying rates of taxonomic description of dinosaurs through historical time. The lecture is about large-scale trends in taxonomic diversity.

Data similar to those used in the biostratigraphy prac will be used in week 5 to compute extinction rates using several simple equations. In addition to explaining how extinction rates are computed and interpreted, the lecture will survey the Big Five major mass extinctions.

Week 6 will involve reconstructing climate variables by studying tree leaves. The accompanying lecture will introduce plants and insects.

Weeks 7 and 8 will introduce cladistics, the primary means of elucidating evolutionary relationships amongst fossil organisms. Cladistics works by grouping organisms together based on the number of derived characters they share (i.e., synapomorphies). It has the advantage of allowing numerous characters to be analysed simultaneously and objectively. The lectures will introduce vertebrates in general (week 7) and then dinosaurs and other Mesozoic tetrapods (week 8).

The prac for week 9 will involve taking linear measurements of a set of specimens to develop an equation for estimating body mass. The lecture will survey the early evolution of mammals.

Week 10 will explore key methods used by palaeoecologists to reconstruct climates and environments in ways that go beyond geochemistry, including pollen counts and annual growth rings of trees and corals. The lecture will concern Cenozoic mammals.

In the week 11 prac you will use quantitative analyses of community data to infer water depth. The lecture will discuss general concepts in palaeoecology.

The week 12 prac involves the exciting new area of conservation palaeobiology. In this prac you will synthesize multiple environmental proxies to tackle the question of what has caused recent change in a major estuarine system. The lecture will also be on conservation palaeobiology.

There is no week 13 prac. The lecture this week will concern human evolution and Quaternary extinctions.

Minor Assignment (15%)

The Minor Assignment will provide an opportunity to read and evaluate recently published scientific papers. You will have to discuss their strengths and weaknesses in a relatively short and succinct manner. Most journals only allow a maximum of 800 words for a technical comment or written opinion piece, so you need to marshall your arguments carefully and clearly. This task will allow you to become familiar with the way scientists communicate their ideas in published papers.

Policies that apply to the Major Assignment regarding attribution and use of your own words also apply to this one (see below). In brief, you will not receive credit for anything copied without attribution.

See the Minor Assignment link on the iLearn page for details of the papers you need to read.

Assignment marking criteria

Marks for the Minor Assignment will be allotted for the following:

Scientific evaluation, meaning how well you have organised and presented your own arguments in your own words concerning the references. Credit for discussing specific issues will also be given. 65%

Presentation, meaning spelling, grammar, and conciseness. 25%

Formatting of the references. 10%

Major Assignment (25%)

Each BIOL381 student is expected to submit one major assignment on one of three offered topics concerning current and controversial palaeobiological research. Detailed information on the assignment topics will be provided on iLearn.

Important note: if you do not hand in the Major Assignment you will be very unlikely to pass the unit. You can still get partial credit if you hand the assigment in late, so don't give up just because you have missed the deadline.

Assignment format

For this assignment you are required to formulate your own ideas and conclusions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the data presented in a series of published papers. Do not simply summarise each paper. For this assignment it is essential that you read a wide array of primary literature. It is not sufficient to refer to secondary or unpublished material.

The assignments also must be written in your own words. You must not copy material from any source without attribution. Any copied words, no matter how few, must be placed in quotation marks. If you copy anything without attribution or without using quotation marks you will not receive credit for the relevant part of the assignment. If you have copied without attribution, then depending on the severity of the case you may be reported to the Faculty Student Administration Manager, in accord with the Academic Honesty Procedure (see the Policies and Procedures section).

Please write in a concise, well-organised manner. If you are not feeling very confident in your ability to do so you may want to purchase the short, simple volume by W. Strunk and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, Macmillan (normally available in the Co-op bookshop).

Important points to note regarding the format and structure of the Major Assignment:

• Word limit is 2500 words ± 10% not including the references. Include an accurate word count on the front of the assignment.
• Assignments must be word processed using 12 pt font and double spaced. Hand written assignments will not be accepted.
• The assignment must include at least one additional supporting figure, graph, or table and preferably more.
• The assignment should be written in the succinct, tight style of a scientific paper following the format of a mainstream science journal such as Paleobiology (see http://www.paleosoc.org/content/AuthorContribInstr.html).
• Make sure all primary information sources used are cited in the text in the appropriate manner. A full reference list presented in alphabetical order and formatted in journal style should be included at the end of the assignment. Only sources cited in the main text of the assignment should be listed in the reference list.
• Regardless of the details, you must use the Harvard Referencing Style when writing your assignments. This means use of footnotes or numbered reference citation (Oxford referencing style) should be completely avoided.

The Library Web page (http://www.library.mq.edu.au/) has a number of very useful databases for searching out relevant primary sources. Use databases such as Web of Knowledge or Scopus or publisher websites such as BioOne, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, Springer Link or Wiley Online Library when searching for information.

Note that a primary source is a paper published in a peer reviewed international scientific journal that presents new scientific data and is not simply a review of existing research. A secondary source is a review or compilation of the research work performed by other workers. Examples of secondary sources include Wikipedia, textbooks, popular science magazines (e.g. New Scientist), newspapers, and most other websites (though there are exceptions such as the online journal Palaeontologica Electronica).

Assignment marking criteria

Marks for the Major Assignment will be allotted for the following:

1. Scientific content, meaning how well you have researched and evaluated the evidence to support your answer written in your own words. 50%
2. Logical organisation, spelling, grammar, and conciseness. Use sub-headings. 20%
3. Comprehensiveness, relevance, and formatting of the references you have consulted in researching your topic and cited in the text (see Harvard Referencing Style Guide). 20%
4. Relevance, effectiveness, and referencing of figures, graphs and/or tables. At least one figure, graph, or table must be included. 10%.

Important note: anything not in your own words does not demonstrate researching the topic; evaluating the evidence; writing logically and grammatically; or finding references on your own. Therefore, if you copy extensively you may receive little or no credit in any or all of these areas.

Final Examination (30%)

The Final Examination will cover important concepts introduced in lectures and further developed during the practical activities. More information will be provided later in the semester.

Unit webpage and technology used and required

iLearn. BIOL381 has an online presence on iLearn. To access this site go to https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/. You will need your MQ ID and password to log in. You are expected to use iLearn to access the unit outline, resources, lectures, and other useful information and links for the unit. Any updates, announcements, or changes to the unit will be posted on iLearn. As such, it is strongly recommended that all students log into the BIOL381 iLearn site at least twice a week throughout the entire semester.

UniWISE. Everyone can enrol in this iLearn unit. It provides a number of resources for undergraduate students including what is expected of you as a student, how to succeed in learning, and what resources have been developed and compiled by the Learning Skills unit to enhance your academic performance and writing.

Turnitin. Macquarie University uses an online anti-plagiarism detection tool called Turnitin. All students enrolled in BIOL381 must submit the Minor Assignment and Major Assignment to Turnitin. This program works by comparing each student’s work with the work of other students enrolled in the unit (both past and present) and with material found online (e.g. websites and scientific papers). Instructions for using Turnitin, including quickstart and step-by-step user manuals, can be found at http://mq.edu.au/iLearn/resources/turnitin.htm

Feedback and unit evaluation

In this unit you will receive a range of verbal and written feedback on your assessment tasks and work.

To monitor how successful we are in providing quality teaching and learning, the Department of Biological Sciences also seeks feedback from students. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through unit and teacher evaluation surveys. This feedback is anonymous and provides the Department with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied with and areas that require improvement.

Extensions and penalties

Submitting assignments on time is strongly recommended. Although late submissions will be accepted, they will be penalised at the rate of 10% of the value of the assignment per 24 hours. The penalty may be lowered, but only if you have an acceptable reason and have either applied for disruption to study via Ask.mq.edu.au or have been granted an extension for special circumstances after discussions with the unit convenor before the due date.

Disruption to study, queries, and appeals

Disruption to study requests

If you have a serious and unavoidable disruption to your studies and require an extension please submit a Disruptions to Studies notification via Ask.mq.edu.au with supporting documentation, and a Professional Authority Form completed by your health care professional. Every effort should be made to contact the convenor and seek an extension before the due date unless this is absolutely impossible. If you anticipate any potential problems speak to the convenor early.

Queries and appeals

Contact the convenor if there are any questions about the assessment tasks themselves, or about the feedback and grades that you received for your various assessment tasks. You are permitted to appeal against your final grade in any of your units. Before initiating an appeal, discuss your unit grade fully with the convenor. More details of the Faculty of Science appeals procedures are available from the Science Centre – E7A Level 1 (e-mail: enquiries@science.mq.edu.au; ph: 9850 6000). 

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to BIOL381 Evolutionary Palaeobiology, a 3 CP unit that explores evolutionary patterns and processes throughout the fossil record. This unit will probe the diversification, extinction, form and function, classification, phylogeny, and ecology of key extinct and extant clades from the Cambrian through to today. There will be a strong emphasis on numerical methods and large-scale patterns.

Because global biodiversity is the result of long historical processes, deep time data make a significant contribution to our understanding of modern biology and environmental impacts. The fossil record provides a critical and easily accessible primary database to investigate pre-human global changes across a wide spectrum of ecological, geological and climatic systems. We thus need to know about deep time history and processes if we are to have any chance of recognising (and fixing!) the impacts that humans have had on the modern environments of Earth.

Prerequisites for this unit are 39 cp including 6 cp selected from BIOL261, BIOL263, BIOL262, BIOL208, BIOL228, BIOL227, BIOL235, or GEOS206 and 3 cp from BIOL or GEOS units at 300 level.

UNIT DESCRIPTION

The unit integrates practical work, lecture material, and the reading of pivotal palaeontological papers so that students gain an in-depth appreciation of the types of problems that palaeobiologists are currently grappling with. This unit is largely “hands on”, with many of the pracs showing how to identify and interpret form and function of animal fossils. We also explore a range of analytical methods. In particular, the unit emphasizes using fossils to understand palaeoenvironments, palaeoclimates, time scales, mass extinctions, and diversity trends. In order to complement the marine focus of BIOL263, the lectures go into detail about the fossil record of terrestrial organisms such as plants, insects, dinosaurs, and mammals.

This unit is the capstone for the Major in Palaeobiology, and it forms an integral part of the study pathways for students undertaking any of the following:

·      Bachelor of Science (with Major in Palaeobiology)

·      Bachelor of Advanced Science (with Major in Palaeobiology)

·      Bachelor of Marine Science

This unit is extremely valuable for anyone interested in undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in Biology, Ecology, Geoscience, Environmental Studies, Climate Change Science, Resource Management or Biodiversity.

UNIT DELIVERY AND ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

Workload. Since BIOL381 is a 3 cp unit, you are expected to spend about 9 hours per week (including face-to-face teaching time) working on this unit for the duration of the semester. Please note that Macquarie University defines a semester as being 15 weeks in duration – 13 weeks of face-to-face teaching plus the two week mid-semester break.

Lectures. There will be one two hour lecture to be held in E7B 200 every Monday at 9:00 AM. These will be recorded live and posted on Echo360 (access via the BIOL381 iLearn site). The weekly quizzes will include material from the lectures. Because many of the questions are based on material only presented in the lectures, if you do not attend the lectures you may receive poor grades on the quizzes.

Weekly practical laboratory sessions: Each student is expected to attend the 3 hour prac session each and every week. Sessions will be held in E5A 220 and will run from 2:00 to 5.00 PM.

See the Unit Schedule for the topics to be covered each week. It is in your best interests to attend every one of the lectures. It has been my observation that students who regularly attend lectures tend to perform better than those students who attend lectures infrequently.

Occupational health and safety. Due to OH&S regulations, all students must wear fully enclosed footwear (i.e. no thongs) at all times during practical laboratory sessions in E5A 220. Students without proper footwear will be unable to enter the lab. Food and drink may not be consumed in the lab at any time either.

RECOMMENDED READING

No textbook on palaeobiology that covers this unit's full curriculum. The textbook M. J. Benton and D. A. T. Harper (2009), Introduction to Palaeobiology and the Fossil Record, is employed during BIOL263 History of Life and is also useful in this unit. Relevant readings will be provided in the Unit Schedule where appropriate. Readings from the more advanced textbook Principles of Paleontology by M. Foote and A. I. Miller (2007) are also recommended. Complementary reading will be available in the Library in E-reserve.

If you want to do some background reading outside the nominated textbook, check out some of the following items in the Special Reserve Section of the Library. Various introductory sources can be found in QE sections such as QE711 and QE770.

Adrain, J.M., Edgecombe, G.D. & Lieberman., B.S. (eds) 2001. Fossils, Phylogeny, and Form: An Analytical Approach. New York, Kluwer Academic. [QE719.8.F68]

Albert, V.A. (ed.) 2005. Parsimony, Phylogeny, and Genomics. Oxford, Oxford University Press. [QH441 .P37 2005]

Benton, M.E. (ed.) 1993. The Fossil Record 2. London, Chapman & Hall. [QE723.P67]

Cowen, R. 2005. History of Life, 4^th edn. Boston, Blackwell Scientific Publications. [QE711.2.C68]

Erwin, D. H. & Wing, S. L. (eds) 2000. Deep Time: Paleobiology's Perspective. Paleobiology, Supplement to Volume 4, Number 6. http://www.bioone.org/toc/pbio/26/sp4

Fortey, R.A. 2002. Fossils: the Key to the Past. London, Natural History Museum Publication. [QE711.3.F67]

Jablonski, D., Erwin, D.H. & Lipps, J.H. (eds) 1996. Evolutionary Paleobiology. Chicago, University of Chicago Press. [QE721.2.E85.E96]

Louys, J. 2012. Paleontology in Ecology and Conservation. Berlin and New York, Springer. http://simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/login?url=http://link.springer.com/openurl?genre=book&isbn=978-3-642-25037-8

MacPhee, R. D. E. (ed) 1999. Extinctions in Near Time: Causes, Contexts, and Consequences. New York, Kluwer Academic/Plenum. [GN282.E87 1999]

Raup, D.M. & Stanley, S.M. 1978. Principles of Paleontology. San Francisco, W.H. Freeman. [QE711.2.R37]

THE RALPH FAULKNER PRIZE

For the person enrolled in a science degree who is judged the best student in BIOL381 there is a prize made possible by the generosity of the late Mr Ralph Faulkner, one of Macquarie’s first intake of students in 1967. As an external student, Ralph completed all the palaeontology units on offer. His good cheer and wonderful sense of humour made him a very popular participant in class and especially on field trips. Sadly, Ralph passed away in 2001, a victim of cancer. Because he appreciated what Macquarie had done for him and he was especially interested in palaeontology, Ralph undertook to provide the Invertebrate Palaeontology Prize. He did this for many years, but when he knew his death with imminent, he organised to leave funds to Macquarie so the award would continue after his death. Ralph was, for many years, part of the Science Staff of Kiama High School.