Great Strategies for Teaching Paleontology: Paleobotany – 200,000 Years of Pollen and Environmental Change Christopher L. Hill Boise State University,
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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;
chill2@boisestate.edu
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
Outline of PresentationOutline of Presentation
Introduction: What is this activity?ContextGoalsActivity DescriptionAdaptations
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
ContextContext
Designed for upper-division undergraduate course in Quaternary Paleontology
Majors in geosciences, geoarchaeology, environmental studies, anthropology
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
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
A Pollen Key for Quaternary Paleontology
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)
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.
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
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
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?
Paleobotany ProjectPaleobotany Project
Stable Isotope Curve to Compare with Pollen Diagram
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
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
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