great strategies for teaching paleontology: paleobotany – 200,000 years of pollen and...
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Great Strategies for Teaching Paleontology:Great Strategies for Teaching Paleontology: Paleobotany – Paleobotany –
200,000 Years of Pollen and 200,000 Years of Pollen and Environmental ChangeEnvironmental Change
Christopher L. HillBoise State University, Boise, Idaho;
On the Cutting Edge - Teaching Paleontology in the 21st Century On the Cutting Edge - Teaching Paleontology in the 21st Century Cornell University and the Paleontological Research Institute, Ithaca, NYCornell University and the Paleontological Research Institute, Ithaca, NY
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Outline of PresentationOutline of Presentation
Introduction: What is this activity?ContextGoalsActivity DescriptionAdaptations
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Introduction: Introduction: What is this activity?What is this activity?This is a “virtual lab” homework asignment
Students experience the scientific process by:◦ Observation, identification◦ Data organization and analysis◦ Final product is a report
Students use online resources◦ Identification key◦ Pollen slides to count◦ Basic table format and isotope curve provided
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ContextContext
Designed for upper-division undergraduate course in Quaternary Paleontology
Majors in geosciences, geoarchaeology, environmental studies, anthropology
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GoalsGoalsIntroduction to Palynology; Students will…
◦ Identify different fossil forms (pollen taxa)◦ Link pollen to vegetation/climate ◦ Recognize changing patterns over time◦ Compare local pollen change to global isotope record
Skills: “Scientific Process/Critical Thinking”◦ Observation, identification, counting◦ Organizing data◦ Analysis of data◦ Interpretations and Write-up
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DescriptionDescription
Pre-activity introduction to paleobotanyProvided online via BLACKBOARD:
◦Pollen key◦Pollen slides◦Step-by-step instructions for data organization
and analysis◦Stable isotope curve for last 300,000 years◦Guide for report
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A Pollen Key for Quaternary Paleontology
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Ambrosia- Spherical- Exine: Echinate (short spines)- Favors warm, temperate climates
Ragweeds (Ambrosia), also called bitterweeds and bloodweeds, are a genus of flowering plants from the sunflower family (Asteraceae)
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Picea- Vesiculate
- Reticulum Bladders-The cap exine is a verrucate texture- Favors cold climates
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen coniferous trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate or boreal regions.
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Paleobotany ProjectPaleobotany ProjectIn this exercise you will 1) study a set of samples collected from the western North America, 2) compare your result to the global isotope climate record. The samples are from a sediment core from a lake basin. There are 8 samples. The top of the core dates to today, the bottom of the core extends to about 220,000 years ago.
Sample 1 Today (or Recent)
Sample 2 Sample 3 20,000 years ago Sample 4 Sample 5 130,000 years ago
Sample 6 Sample 7 Sample 8 220,00 years ago
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Paleobotany ProjectPaleobotany Project
Make a chart with the raw counts. Convert these into relative frequencies (percentages) for each slide (time level). Here is an example of a count sheet:
Pollen Type 1 Pollen Type 2 Pollen Type 3 Total Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Sample 4 Sample 5
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Paleobotany ProjectPaleobotany Project
Climate Set 1 Climate Set 2 Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Sample 4 Sample 5 Sample 6 Sample 7 Sample 8
Can they be grouped into sets based on what kinds of environments or climates they might indicate?
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Paleobotany ProjectPaleobotany Project
Stable Isotope Curve to Compare with Pollen Diagram
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Paleobotany ProjectPaleobotany Project
Written Report: “Guide to Paleobotany (Pollen) Assignment Report for Quaternary Paleontology”
1. Title2. Introduction3. Materials and Methods4. Results5. Interpretations/Discussion/Conclusion6. Bibliography
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AdaptationsAdaptations
Most students used EXCEL although this wasn’t part of the required assignment
Some students presented data in an unconventional manner◦Emphasize “standard” pollen chart?
Different regions or timescales
Links to other paleo-proxy data