Geobiology 1300-WGEBIOL
Course comprises:
1. What is geobiology?
2. The global carbon cycle: biological processes
3. The global carbon cycle: geological processes
4. The global nitrogen cycle
5. The global sulphur cycle
6. The global iron cycle
7. The global oxygen cycle
8. The global phosphorus cycle
9. Microbial-mineral interactions: bio- and organomineralisation processes
10. Eukaryotic skeletal formation
11. Plants and animals as geobiological agents
12. Molecular biology’s contribution to geobiology
- Molecular approaches used in geobiology
- Molecular clocks
- Ancient DNA
13. The fossil record of microbial life
Course coordinators
Type of course
Learning outcomes
The student will learn the theoretical aspects of geobiology as an introduction to the biological and geological techniques used to decipher how organisms influence the physical Earth and vice versa, and how biological and physical processes have interacted through the planet’s long history. Specifically, through experimental and field examples, students will learn how organisms participate in the Earth system and what consequences these activities have had or may have for local to global environmental states.
Assessment criteria
The examination requirements cover the material presented in the lectures. The exam is written and includes a test and descriptive section.
Practical placement
not applicable
Bibliography
Knoll, A.H., Canfield, D.E., Konhauser, K.O., 2012. Fundamentals of geobiology, 1st edition, Wiley-Blackwell.
Articles in Geobiology, Biogeochemistry.