Undergraduate Course: Insects, Past Environments and Climate (GEGR10091)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Geography |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This is a laboratory based course designed to provide students with the basic skills of identification of modern and fossil insects, principally beetles and to use the information provided in interpreting Quaternary sites. Insects potentially provide the most effective means of reconstructing both past environments and the details of changing climate. In the Quaternary context, they allow a level of resolution unavailable by any other method. As a group, insect remains may be the most frequent identifiable fossils in terrestrial and freshwater aquatic sediments, and flies, ectoparasites and beetles may be similarly common in any anaerobic or desiccated sediments. The process of identification of fossil insect remains is significantly different from the identification of modern specimens, because the former deals with disconnected fragments. It is essential, however, that students are able to recognise and then identify a broad range of insects so they know where the fossil fragments belong on a complete animal. The ability to recognise disconnected fragments (sclerites) is an essential part of the training and students will take the entire process through from the primary sediment sample to the identified list of animals. This will be followed by the interpretation of the assemblage using BUGSCEP and other published sources. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course the students should have developed an understanding of:
- Taxonomy and morphology of insects
- The selection and processing of samples for insect remains
- The identification of fossil insect remains
- Interpretation of fossil insect assemblages
- The use of palaeoentomology in the reconstruction of past environments
- Taphonomy and preservation and their role in the creation of the palaeoecological record
It will also provide students with:
- the skills necessary to write a specialist report (dissemination of data, collation of relevant information, - good knowledge of the BUGSCEP database
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Assessment Information
Class assessment: As specified in course handbook
Degree assessment: One 4,000 word project (70%); One one-hour degree examination (1 question) (30%) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | GEGR10091 |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Eva Panagiotakopulu
Tel: (0131 6)50 2531
Email: Eva.P@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Catherine Campbell
Tel: (0131 6)50 9847
Email: cathy.campbell@ed.ac.uk |
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