Course Outline
PALEOECOLOGY: GEOL 7115
Lecture: TTh 7:30-8:30 a.m. Field Trips: TBA

Instructor: Laurie Anderson
Office: 341 Howe/Russell
Phone: 388-2153
E-mail: laurie@aapg.geol.lsu.edu
Office Hours: Open.
 
Date
Topic
Aug. 22 Organization
Aug. 27/29 Review of Environments/Habitats
Sept. 3/5 Uniformitarianism in Paleoecology
Sept. 10/12 Populations in Paleoecology
Weekend Field Trip (2 days)--Modern Coastal Environments (Chenier Plain)
Sept. 17/19 The Paleocommunity
Sept. 24/26 Measures of Diversity, Recognizing Associations, Etc.
Oct. 1/3 Taphonomy: Preservation Filters
Oct. 8/10 Taphonomy: Fossils as Sedimentary Grains
Oct. 15/17 Reconstructing Animal Behavior: Trace Fossils
Weekend  Field Trip (3 days)--Tertiary Gulf Coastal Plain
Oct. 22/24 Reconstructing Animal Behavior: Functional Morphology/Biotic Interactions
Oct. 29/31 GSA--No Class this week.
Nov. 5/7 Biogeochemistry
Nov. 12/14 Evolutionary Paleoecology: Coordinated Stasis
Nov. 19/21 Evolutionary Paleoecology: Recoveries from Mass Extinctions
Nov. 26 Paleoecology and Global Change Research
Dec. 3/5 Overflow
Dec. 9 7:30 a.m. Final

Texts
Dodd and Stanton. 1990. Paleoecology: Concepts and Applications, 2nd edition.
Brown. 1995. Macroecology.
Other Readings (journal articles/book chapters): To be announced.

Grade Distribution
Field Notebook 10%
Journal of Class Readings 30%
Research Paper 20%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final 20%

Format
The course will be 50% lecture and 50% discussion. I plan on introducing each topic with a short introductory lecture, then spend the rest of class time discussing a couple of readings on that topic. Each of you will be in charge of helping pick out reading(s) and leading class discussion for one topic during the semester. A journal you keep about class readings is a large proportion of your grade so I encourage you to keep up with the readings and be ready to discuss them in class.