ESC2032

Vertebrate life on Earth: 500 million years of Australian vertebrate history

(SCI)

Offered subject to final approval

Professor Pat Vickers-Rich

6 points + Two 1-hour lectures and one 4-hour practical per week + Second semester + Clayton

Synopsis: This subject deals with major evolutionary patterns of vertebrate animals, emphasising Australia, for the past 500 million years. Special interest topics include the origin of the major groups (e.g. birds, marsupials and humans), major extinction events and their causes (e.g. extinction of the dinosaurs, extinction of the Australian megafauna), vertebrate evidence for climatic change, especially for the development of aridity on the Australian continent. Emphasis will be placed on the philosophy behind such interpretive methods as well as the biases and the limitations of the data available in Australia relative to the rest of the world.

Assessment: Essay (2000 words): 20% + Examination (1 hour): 40% + Seminar, abstract and laboratory exams plus field report: 40%