UNDERGRADUATE COURSES covering many aspects of evolution and palaeontology (the study of ancient life) are offered in the Schools of Integrative Biology and Earth Sciences.
First level courses
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| Dr Steve Salisbury with Honours student Stewart Macdonald at the 2003 Elliot dig. Photo: Chris Stacey, The University of Queensland. |
BIOL1020 Genes, Cells and Evolution
This course will discuss the structure & regulation of genes, the molecular processes of gene change and the principles of inheritance. The theory of evolution will be examined in the context of comparative genome analysis & genetic variation in populations. Changes at the molecular level will be related to the broader concepts of speciation and extinction.
Second level courses
ZOOL2029 Vertebrate Biology. A systematic, functional introduction to the vertebrates ? the animals with backbones. This course is fundamental to any subsequent studies of animals and the ecosystems of which they form a part.
ERTH2002 Palaeobiology. This course covers palaeobiology ? a principal aspect of historical geology ? and the nature and development of animal and plant life on Earth as preserved in the rocks of the Earth's crust. Emphasis will be placed on the applications of palaeobiology in the earth sciences, particularly in stratigraphy and palaeoecology, and also in the biological sciences. The following are among the broad topics to be covered: inception and evolutionary development of animal and plant life through geological time; evolution, including major biotic crises and evolutionary bursts, and; applications of fossils in biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography, and palaeoecology.
BIOL2001 Australia's Terrestrial Environment. Provides an appreciation of the plants, animals & ecological communities that comprise Australia's terrestrial ecosystems, major biogeographic events that have shaped these ecosystems & how & why they are unique.
Third level courses
ZOOL3001 Evolutionary Biology. A knowledge of the evolutionary and genetic roots of ecological diversity is important, both in terms of providing a firm understanding of biology, and in terms of applied uses of ecology. This course considers different perspectives available for examining the evolutionary process and ecological diversity.
POSTGRADUATE PROJECTS in Vertebrate Palaeontology and Biomechanics