Università Roma Tre

General Palaeontology:
Brief history of Palaeontology (2h).
Taphonomy (2h).
Systematics: classification. the species concept. Different taxonomy schools (2h).
Palaeoecology: marine palaeoecology. Elements of continental palaeoecology. Palaeoichnology (4h).
Biostratigraphy: biozones. Biostratigraphic correlations (4h).
Evolution: fossils and evolution. Lamark’s and Neo-lamarckist’s evoluton theory. Darwin’s evolution theory. Microevolution. Synthetic and Punctuated Equilibria theories. Macroevolution. Extinction. Adaptive radiation (4h).
Palaeobiogeography: the historical biogeography: dispersion and vicariance. The ecological biogeography. Plate tectonics and palaeobiogeography (4h).
Case studies (2h)

Systematic Palaeontology:
Prokaryote and eukaryote cells. The Kingdoms (1h).
Kingdom Protista - Foraminifera: morphology, taxonomy, stratigraphic distribution and palaeoecology. Detailed study on Orbitolinidae, Fusulinidae, Alveolinidae, Nummulitidae, orbitoids, and Globigerinini (6h). Morphology, taxonomy, stratigraphic distribution and palaeoecology of Radiolaria, Tintinnida, Calcareous Nannofossils and Calcareous Algae (1h).
Kingdom Animalia – Porifera: morphology, taxonomy, and palaeoecology (1h).
Cnidaria: morphology, taxonomy, stratigraphic distribution and palaeoecology (1h).
Mollusca: general morphology and taxonomy. Morphology, taxonomy, stratigraphic distribution and palaeoecology of Bivalvia (including detailed study of Superfamily Hippuritoidea), Gastropoda and Cephalopoda (6h).
Arthropoda: general morphology and taxonomy. Morphology and palaeoecology of Trilobita and Ostracoda (2h).
Echinodermata: general morphology and taxonomy. Morphology and palaeoecology of Echinoidea and Crinoidea (2h).
Lophophorata: general morphology and taxonomy. Morphology and palaeoecology of Bryozoa. Morphology, taxonomy, stratigraphic distribution and palaeoecology of Brachiopoda. (2h).
Stratigraphic Palaeontology: the Cambrian and Phanerozoic fauna; (2h).

Laboratory of Palaeontology:
Practical training on micro- and macrofossil morphology (18h).
Microbiofacies analysis of the Neotethyan basinal sedimentary successions during Meso-Cenozoic (example: the Umbro-Marchean succession) (9h).
Microbiofacies analysis of the Neotethyan carbonate platform sedimentary successions during Meso-Ceonozoic (example: the Latium-Abruzzi succession) (9h).

General Paleontology:
Società Paleontologica Italiana (a cura della), 2020 – Manuale di Paleontologia. Fomdamenti – Applicazioni. Idelson-Gnocchi, Napoli.
Raffi S. & Serpagli E., 1993 - Introduzione Alla Paleontologia. U.T.E.T.;
Benton M.J. & Harper D.A.T., 2009 - Introduction to Paleobiology and the fossil record, Wiley-Blackwell.

Systematic Paleontology:
Società Paleontologica Italiana (a cura della), 2020 – Manuale di Paleontologia. Fomdamenti – Applicazioni. Idelson-Gnocchi, Napoli.
Teacher handouts relating to the lessons
Allasinaz A., 1999 - Invertebrati fossili. U.T.E.T.

Paleontological Laboratory:
Teacher handouts relating to the lessons.