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Description
This course provides an introduction to the evolutionary history of vertebrates, including fishes, early tetrapods, reptiles, and mammals. It covers their anatomy, including key evolutionary innovations (e.g. the development of jaws, limbs, and flight), evolutionary phenomena (e.g. extinction, exaptation, adaptation), as well as the major environmental events that shaped the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the group. It also covers the evolutionary relationships of vertebrates, with emphasis on how to understand and reconstruct evolutionary trees. The course consists of lectures and practicals, including practical classes in the Grant Museum of Zoology.
By the end of this module students should:
- show an ability to identify members of particular vertebrate groups;
- be able to analyse the functional significance of particular anatomical features;
- be able to understand and reconstruct evolutionary trees;
- have developed a more detailed understanding of key evolutionary events such as the end-Cretaceous extinction;
- be able to explain key concepts to a lay-person audience.
GEOL0003 History of Life is a prerequisite for this module.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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