The field of paleobiology is thriving today, due largely to its fundamentally interdisciplinary focus- the study of the history of life in relation to the history of the Earth. Partnerships with biologists allow paleontologists to investigate questions concerning fossils as once-living organisms - their development and evolution, function and behavior, patterns of genealogical relationships. Partnerships with geologists allow paleontologists to investigate questions about the changing long-term relationships between organisms and their environment - paleoceanography, paleoecology, paleobiogeography, biogeochemistry. The UC Davis paleontology faculty and students are actively working with both biologists and geologists, on campus and elsewhere, to answer questions at the forefront of paleontological research. We welcome you to join us!

The Department of Geology offers interdisciplinary curricula in paleobiology, leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Research opportunities exist in invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology, paleobotany, evolutionary biology, phylogenetic inference, paleoecology, taphonomy, functional morphology, biogeography, geomicrobiology, paleoclimatology, and biogeochemistry. Students are encouraged to design individual academic programs involving both empirical and theoretical approaches to investigating pattern and process in the evolution of life.

Each year, at least two graduate seminars (GEL 260) are offered on different topics in paleontology. In the seminars, students read from the primary literature in paleontology to increase their exposure to a wide variety of current research in the field, engage in and lead spirited discussions on the topics to enable them to phrase oral arguments, and prepare original research papers to hone writing skills. A wide variety of seminars on related topics are offered in Evolution and Ecology, Plant Biology, Entomology, Environmental Science and Policy, to name a few, as well as through the Graduate Groups in Ecology, Population Biology, and others.

Diverse fossil deposits ranging in age from Cambrian to Recent are located within a day's drive of Davis; several field research facilities are similarily accessible. The Bodega Marine Laboratory is situated nearby on the Northern California coast in a region of tremendous ecological diversity. The UCD library is extraordinary. The department houses an extensive teaching collection of fossil invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. Ample laboratory facilities exist within the department and on campus for microfossil and macrofossil analysis, including stable isotope (dual inlet and continuous flow systems for C,O,H,N and S isotopes), trace element (ICP-MS and MC-ICPMS) and electron microprobe laboratories. Abundant opportunities exist in the Bay Area for a variety of collaborative paleontological research projects at the University of California, Berkeley; California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; University of California, Santa Cruz; Stanford University; U.S. Geological Survey; and others.These and other rich resources create a particularly attractive academic climate for paleobiological research at Davis.

Sandra J. Carlson (Ph.D., Michigan, 1986) - Systematics of fossil and Recent brachiopods, including phylogeny reconstruction and revision of brachiopod classification at several hierarchical levels. Use of stratigraphic data in phylogenetic inference. Phylogenetic systematics and invertebrate paleontology. Stable isotopic variation in Recent and fossil brachiopod shells. Functional morphology of the brachiopod hinge mechanism. Biomineralization, growth, and diagenesis of "hard parts" - shells, bones, and teeth.

James A. Doyle (Ph.D., Harvard, 1971) - Mesozoic paleobotany, palynology, and early angiosperm evolution. Phylogeny of seed plants and primitive angiosperms, especially Annonaceae, and the origin of angiosperms.

Tessa Hill (Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, 2004) - Research investigations focus on species assemblages and geochemistry of foraminifera from modern environments to refine the interpretation of the fossil record.

Ryosuke Motani (Ph.D. University of Toronto,Canada, 1997) - Vertebrate Paleontology. Physics-based functional morphology, and its integration with systematics and phylogenetics to probe physical evolutionary constraints in evolution. Systematics and phylogenetics of Mesozoic marine reptiles, especially ichthyosaurs.

Howard J. Spero (Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara, 1986) - Research on living and fossil marine organisms as tracers of past environmental change.

Dawn Y. Sumner (Ph.D., MIT, 1995) - Microbial mat morphology and mineral-microbial interactions to constrain the early evolution of life. Characterization of the ecology of ancient microbial reefs. Use of modern microbial communities and processes as analogs for interpreting stromatolites and microbialites in the rock record. Developing approaches to search for life on Mars.

Geerat Vermeij (Ph.D., Yale, 1971) - Marine ecology and paleoecology. The functional morphology of marine molluscs. The coevolutionary reactions between predators and prey, and their effects on morphology, ecology, and evolution. Biogeography and climate, and their reconstruction from paleontological evidence. The marine Mesozoic revolution. The paleobiogeography of the Arctic, and its influence on Atlantic and Pacific Cenozoic faunas.

Richard Cowen (Ph.D., Cambridge, 1966) - Functional and anatomical reconstruction of fossil invertebrates; the interrelationship between geology and people. Recent projects include work on trilobite eyes, algal symbiosis in fossils, and analysis of the human impact of a historic earthquake in the area.

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