This will provide preparation for the chief part of the course, a three-day field trip along the coast from Berkeley northwest to Tomales Bay then north to the UC Bodega Marine Lab. This course will cover the geologic history and development of central California, the evolutionary history of the Californian marine biota, the historical biogeography of the marine biota, and the implications of these for conservation. The class will visit geologic and biologic localities along the coast and in San Francisco Bay on a three-day field trip. A paper describing and interpreting some aspect of the field work will be required before the Thanksgiving holiday, November 21, 2001. There are no prerequisites, although an intense interest in marine biology and geology will be beneficial.
Enrollment is limited to twelve students.
Registration for this course is by instructor approval only. This course can be used to satisfy the Physical Science or Biological Science breadth requirement in Letters and Science. Jere Lipps is a Professor of Integrative Biology and Curator of the Museum of Paleontology at UC Berkeley.