Tag Archives: Vertebrates

Natural History of Vertebrates lecture-series 9.9.-14.10.2013

Welcome to the “Natural History of Vertebrates” lecture-series.

– starts on Monday, 9th of September (9.9.2013)
– lectures held in every  Monday and Friday at  10 – 12 in C108 (quota 15 students),
– maximum credits obtainable – 4: 2 credits for exam, 1 credit for essay,
1 cr for presence (70%). Evaluation is based on the exam and/or the essay.

Purpose of this lecture-series is to familiarize student to the 530 million year long vertebrate evolution history and its main events in the light of morphology, adaptations, and evolutionary perspective. Lecture-series second aim is to present numerous fossil vertebrate groups usually ignored in general teaching and in the prevailing scientific thinking. Familiarization with these groups allows open minds to draw interesting parallels with more familiar groups of vertebrates and their evolution.

Preliminary outline of lectures:

09.09. -13:        1. Origin of Vertebrates and Evolution of Jawless Vertebrates.

13.09.-13:         2. Origin and Evolution of Jawed Fishes.

16.09.-13:         3. Transfer to Land – Evolution of Amphibians.

20.09.-13:         4. Farewell to Water – Origin and Early Evolution of Amniotes.

23.09.-13:         5. Seamonsters – The Great Marine Amniotes of Mesozoic and Cenozoic Oceans.

27.09.-13:         6. Scaled Brotherhood – Mesozoic Small Reptiles.

30.09.-13:         7. Dragons of the Land – Evolution of Archosauria.

04.10.-13:         8. Dragons of the Air – Evolution of Flight on Vertebrates.

07.10.-13:         9. Ears, Whiskers and Milk – the Origin and Evolution of Synapsid Amniotes and Mesozoic Mammals.

11.10.-13:         10. Empire Established – Evolution of Therian Mammals from the Late Jurassic to the Present Day.

14.10.-13:         Examination