Exceptional Fossil Biotas and Mass Extinctions

Period: first semester

Course units contents:

The main contents provided by the course are the following:
1. Quality and completeness of the fossil record: insights into taphonomy;
2. Fossil fakes and hoaxes
3. Pseudofossils
4. The most important Fossil-Lagerstätten worldwide from the Precambrian to the Pleistocene
5. Italian paleontological sites
6. Bioevents: mass extinctions and adaptive radiations; Lazarus taxa and Elvis taxa.
7. Excursions to the Fossil-Lagerstatte of Pesciara di Bolca and its museum and to the museum and quarries of S. Anna d'Alfaedo (VR)

Planned learning activities and teaching methods:  Lectures and exercises in the classroom and/or at the Museum of Nature and Humankind (University of Padova). Classroom discussion. Assignment of scientific articles for the preparation of an oral presentation. Field exercise during the visit to the Fossil-Lagerstatte of Bolca (VR) and to the quarries and Museum of Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo. During the hours of exercise, activities on original fossil finds are foreseen.