Micropaleontology is a discipline of the Earth Sciences and is devoted to the study of microfossils. Microfossils are particularly important for the relative dating of rocks (biostratigraphy) and for paleoecological, paleoenvironmental, paleoclimatic and paleobiogeographic reconstructions and are widely applied in petroleum geology, paleoceanography and biomonitoring. The course is designed to:

1) advance the knowledge on the identification of the major microfossil groups;

2) provide an overview of the potential applications of Micropaleontology to Earth and Environmental Sciences;

 3) offer a background for the stratigraphical interpretation of sedimentary sequence and events’ dating;

4) apply the main microfossil groups to the paleoenvironmental reconstructions;

5) offer useful insights for addressing environmental issues and for the development of georesources;

6) present methodologies and protocols for the application of microfossils as bioindicators of the environmental quality in marine and transitional marine waters and to the environmental biomonitoring.

Introduction to Micropaleontology (2 hours).

Micropaleontology and Applications (2 hours).

Protist microfossils 1: Foraminifera (2 hours).

Protist microfossils 2: Radiolaria (1 hour).

Protist microfossils 3: Calpionellids and Tintinnids (1 hour).

Animal microfossils 1: Introduction, Ostracods and Conodonts (2 hours).

Animal microfossils 2: Chitinozoa, Pteropoda, Bryozoa (2 hours).

Algal microfossils 1: calcareous nannoplankton (2 hours).

Algal microfossils 2: Diatoms and Silicoflagellates, Hebrides (2 hours).

Algal microfossils 3: Dinoflagellates, Acritarchs (2 hours).

Continental Microfossils: Spores and Pollens (2 hours).

Benthic foraminiferal ecology and paleoecology (2 hours).

Planktonic foraminiferal  ecology and paleoecology (2 hours).

Larger benthic foraminiferal ecology and paleoecology (2 hours).

Geological Time Scale Biostratigraphy (1 hour).

Taxonomy and Systematics (1 hour).

Applications of Micropaleontology to the environment and georesources. Biomonitoring (3 hours).

Application of metabarcoding to environmental biomonitoring (2 hours).

Methodologies for the study of microfossils (2 hours).

Preparation of samples for the study of microfossils (2 hours laboratory).

Observation and recognition of the main groups of microfossils (2 hours laboratory).

Identification, morphological description and classification of foraminifera (2 hours laboratory).

Selection of planktonic foraminifera for biostratigraphic interpretations (3 hours laboratory).

Selection and identification of microfossils for palaeoenvironmental interpretations (2 hours laboratory).

Calculations of diversity indices and extinction rates (2 hours laboratory).

Knowledge and understanding. At the end of the course, the student must have gained the basic knowledge in the field of Micropaleontology, Stratigraphy, Paleoecology, Paleoceanography and Environmental Biomonitoring. The student will also master the ability to recognize the main groups of microfossils and to identify the most appropriate methods of micropaleontological analyses for the different stratigraphic intervals and geological contexts as well as biomonitoring. These skills will be verified through a written test.

Applying knowledge and understanding. The student must correctly use paleontological and micropaleontological terminology. In particular, it must be able to identify the main groups of microfossils, to perform a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, to implement a biostratigraphic analysis, to use a statistical software (PAST) on micropaleontological data and to assess the environmental quality of marine and transitional marine waters. These skills will be assessed through a written test.

Making judgements. The student must critically evaluate and select the most appropriate microfossil for environmental, paleoenvironmental paleoceanographical and paleoclimatic reconstruction, and biostratigraphic analyses. These skills will be verified with the written test and a microscopic session.

Communication skills. The student will be able to describe, synthesize and present a scientific article in English.

Learning skills. The student must be able to build the own path of scientific growth in the paleontological and micropaleontological field in a critical and autonomous way by use the acquired knowledge. These abilities, as far as possible, will be stimulated by the lecturer.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Supporting teaching activities and ongoing assessment are not foreseen. At the end of each topic, self-assessment activities will be carried out (structured tests with answer key) to allow students to evaluate their level of understanding and preparation of the topics.

Teaching

The course will take place through a continuous interaction between lectures, laboratory exercises and microscopic sessions.

The course includes:

- frontal lectures

- group work and preparation of a presentation on the applications of selected microfossil groups

- participated classes in which the presented works will be discussed

- microscope analysis and observations for identification of microfossils, paleoenvironmental reconstruction and biostratigraphy

- use of statistical software for micropaleontological data analysis

Innovative teaching methods

The face-to-face teaching method will be enriched with individual and group exercises and insights that students will carry out using the University's Moodle platform. Some topics of the course will be treated following the practice of the "flipped lesson".

Attendance

The course does not require attendance.

Course books

Hag, B.U. and Boersma, A., 1978. Introduction to Marine Micropaleontology, Elsevier.

Lipps, J.H., 1993. Fossil Prokaryotes and Protists. Blackwell Scientific Publications.

Martin, R., 2000. Environmental Micropaleontology: The Application of Microfossils to Environmental Geology. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Armstrong, H.A. and Brasier, M.D., 2006. Microfossils, Blackwell Publishing.

Saraswati, P.K. and Srinivasan, M.S., 2016. Micropaleontology: Principles and Applications.

Course materials also include PowerPoint presentations and reference books in specific topics as addressed during the course.

Assessment

The assessment consists of a written exam with ten open questions including comments on graphs and figures. This method of examination is chosen as it allows to adequately verify the preparation of the student. The evaluation criteria are: knowledge of micropaleontological concepts, microfossils and their application including biomonitoring, level of accuracy and specificity of the answer, and master of a technical language. Each criterion is evaluated on a 3-level scale. The duration of the exam is 2 hours. The exam involves an evaluation that is expressed as a grade of out of 30 as it follows:

    • <18: insufficient level of competence

    • 18-20: sufficient level of competence

    • 21-23: moderate level of competence

    • 24-26: good level of competence

    • 27-29: very good level of competence

    • 30-30 cum laude: excellent level of competence

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Non-attending students are invited to contact the lecturer for information about the program.

Attendance

The course does not require attendance.

Course books

Hag, B.U. and Boersma, A., 1978. Introduction to Marine Micropaleontology, Elsevier.

Lipps, J.H., 1993. Fossil Prokaryotes and Protists. Blackwell Scientific Publications.

Martin, R., 2000. Environmental Micropaleontology: The Application of Microfossils to Environmental Geology. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Armstrong, H.A. and Brasier, M.D., 2006. Microfossils, Blackwell Publishing.

Saraswati, P.K. and Srinivasan, M.S., 2016. Micropaleontology: Principles and Applications.

Course materials also include PowerPoint presentations and reference books in specific topics as addressed during the course.

Assessment

The assessment consists of a written exam with ten open questions including comments on graphs and figures. This method of examination is chosen as it allows to adequately verify the preparation of the student. The evaluation criteria are: knowledge of micropaleontological concepts, microfossils and their application including biomonitoring, level of accuracy and specificity of the answer, and master of a technical language. Each criterion is evaluated on a 3-level scale. The duration of the exam is 2 hours. The exam involves an evaluation that is expressed as a grade of out of 30 as it follows:

    • <18: insufficient level of competence

    • 18-20: sufficient level of competence

    • 21-23: moderate level of competence

    • 24-26: good level of competence

    • 27-29: very good level of competence

    • 30-30 cum laude: excellent level of competence

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.