GEOL516 - PALEOECOLOGY: DISCOVERING LOST ECOSYSTEMS

Paleoecology, or ecology in the fossil record,is the study of how interactions between species have developed over time and how ecosystems and environmental change have shaped the evolution of life and biodiversity.It also involves rebuilding lost communities from fossil evidence to provide context for the origins of modern life and modern ecosystems.This seminar course will survey major topics in Paleoecology, including of ecosystems,the long-term connections between habitat, life mode and biodiversity as well as the distribution of life (e.g. paleobiogeography), escalation between predatorsand prey, competition between invasive and resident species, and how we can infer the ecology and behavior of long-dead organisms. Students will lead discussions on select concepts and choose one topic to investigate in depth.