modules

This course provides an overview of the key evolutionary developments of life, from the earliest fossils and the Cambrian Explosion, to the colonization of land and air by plants, insects, mammals, reptiles and birds, and the evolution of hominids. We will investigate the role of mass extinctions and climate change in the development of the tree of life, long term changes to biodiversity and macroevolutionary patterns, and the specific role of palaeontology to evolutionary theory. This includes examination of marine and terrestrial biotic evolution from micropalaeontology. This module will introduce numerical and geochemical methods used to investigate the fossil record and uncover its evolution, palaeobiology and palaeoenvironment. 

You must have previously studied Earth History and Palaeontology (CSM1035 ) and Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (CSM2183 ) in order to undertake this module. It is therefore unsuitable for non-specialist students and is not recommended for interdisciplinary pathways unless the prerequisite modules have been studied.

_{Please note that all modules are subject to change, please get in touch if you have any questions about this module.}