Quantitative Paleontology II: Analysis of taxonomic data

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course explores some of the principal ways in which data on taxonomic occurrences and stratigraphic ranges, along with morphological and other ancillary data, can be analyzed to draw inferences regarding evolution in the fossil record. Topics include basic probability theory; evolutionary sequences within single lineages; birth-death models; and models of incomplete sampling. Course goals will be met through a combination of lectures; reading and discussion of key papers; and exercises to develop code and analyze empirical data.