7 Questions
What is the primary focus of ecological biogeography?
Short-term periods of time, with local, within-habitat questions
What is the main goal of biogeography?
To understand the distribution of life across space and how it has changed with time
Which of the following is NOT a discipline that integrates with biogeography?
Anthropology
What is the primary focus of research in ecological biogeography?
Lower level taxonomic levels, such as species or subspecies
What is a key question in ecological biogeography related to species distribution?
What prevents a species from expanding into other areas?
What is a possible explanation for the higher diversity of species in the tropics compared to cooler environments?
The tropics have a more stable climate
What is the term for the study of the distribution of species across space and how it has changed with time?
Biogeography
Study Notes
What is Biogeography?
- Biogeography is the study of the distribution of life across space and how it has changed with time.
- It integrates information from ecology, geology, physical geography, and genetics.
Types of Biogeography
Ecological Biogeography
- Concerned with short-term periods of time.
- Focuses on local, within-habitat or intracontinental questions.
- Primarily deals with lower level taxonomic levels (e.g. species or subspecies) of living animals and plants.
Questions in Ecological Biogeography
- Why is a species confined to its present range in space?
- What enables it to live where it does, and what prevents it from expanding into other areas?
- What roles do soil, climate, latitude, topography, and interactions with other organisms play in limiting its distribution?
- Why are there more species in the tropics than in cooler environments?
- How do we account for the replacement of species as we move up a mountain or seashore, or from one environment to another?
- Why are there more endemic species in environment X than in environment Y?
- What controls the diversity of organisms in any particular region?
Learn about the study of life's distribution across space and time, integrating ecology, geology, and genetics. Understand how biogeography answers questions about species distribution and diversity.
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