Palaeoecology

Palaeoecology is the study of the ecology of the past. Different types of fossils are being used as proxies for past species compositions and distributions, species immigration and establishment after the ice age, and how climate, environment, and human activities has affected these. The course aims at disseminate a general understanding as well as more special events where palaeoecological methods can be applied to build knowledge on these. Time scales are reconstructed by using different dating methods. Topics and examples can be related to any part of Earth's history, but most emphasis is put on development and change that has occurred in the present interglacial, the Holocene.

Emphasis is set on practical skills and the presentation of own data developed during the course. The course uses papers and web sources for teaching in lectures, in the field and in the lab, together with seminar discussions and presentations.

On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence.

Knowledge:

• can define the most common expressions within palaeoecology and know the breadth and diversity of the subject
• can plan and carry out a small palaeoecological study
• know different methods and strategies for data collection
• can use the relevant types of data for different palaeoecological studies
• can use their knowledge to put together data and studies on different time scales

Skills:

• is able to formulate a research question and plan and conduct field work to answer this question
• is able to collect material using a Russian sediment corer
• is able to identify and describe different types of sediments and different types of fossils (e.g. pollen and plant macrofossils) and know their relationship to the environment
• is able to present own data in tables and figures, and interpret them om different time and spatial scales
• is able to search for relevant literature and present the main findings to the others at the course

General competence:

• can find relevant literature that highlights current research questions within palaeoecology
• can discuss different studies and express their viewpoints in discussions
• can demonstrate the ability to function individually, in cooperation, and ethically with others
• can present, discuss and critically evaluate primary literature

Autumn.

This course has a limited capacity, enrolment is based on application. The application deadline is Wednesday in week 33 for the autumn semester. Please see this page for more information. You will receive confirmation of whether you received a seat in Studentweb no later than Monday the week after the deadline.

It is compulsory to attend the first lecture/orientation meeting, or you risk losing your seat. If you are unable to attend the first lecture, you must contact the Study Section (studie.bio@uib.no). The time of the first lecture/orientation meeting can be found in the schedule on the course website or on MittUiB.