Complements of Paleontology

The course is designed for students in Geology degree and is directly connected to the basic Paleontology course (Paleontologia e Laboratorio) of the 1st year.
The topics that are treated are:
1) Taphonomy, processes and applications to taphophacies analysis; 2) Paleoichnology with application to ichnofacies and ichnofabric analyses; 3) Classification of fossils, including biometric analysis; 4) Identification and analysis of ontogenetic and evolutionary trends; 5) Systematic of some groups not included in the program of the basic course on Palaeontology :Echinoderms, Briozoans and Graptolites.
All the topics are treated in depth, to the state-of-the-art level. Several case studies from literature are analysed and discussed during the course.
Biostratigraphy is not included in the program, because there is a specific course of this topic, activated in place of Complementi di Paleontologia every second year.

Understanding of the importance of the study of fossils for the analyses of sedimentary successions. The course provides all the information and background to the students, so that after the course they will be able to work with fossils.