History of Biogeography Flashcards
(28 cards)
Biogeography:
- attempts to document and understand patterns in biological ____
- study biotic patterns in ___ and ____ (including development)
diversity
space and time
T/F
A major weakness of biogeography methods is that only biotic factors are considered; abiotic and anthropogenic influences are usually ignored
false
biogeography considers both biotic and abiotic factors over time, as well as the role of humans in affecting species distribution
Historically, biogeography is split into two different approaches, what are they? Describe each
- ecological biogeography
- short periods of time (yrs to decades)
- smaller scale, w/ local questions
- extant plant and animal species - historical biogeography
- long term, evolutionary
- larger areas (global)
- usually dealing w/ taxa above species levels & extinct taxa
T/F
Ecological and historical biogeography are becoming more integrated thanks to molecular biology and cladistics
true!
for example, now we can start adding extinct species to our trees
What are the 4 major areas in biogeography today?
- terrestrial biogeography
- marine biogeography
- island biogeography
- conservation biogeography
T/F
life varies from place to place in a highly random and unpredictable manner
false
it’s non-random and very predictable
- because species exist where they’re suited to the environment
What are some predicable variation patterns in life? In terms of:
- elevation
- ocean depth
- vegetation changes as you move from valleys to summits
- fish catches vary from costal to open ocean
Were early human societies aware of the non-random patterns of life?
Yes!
This observation inspired Darwin and Wallace to figure out evolution and natural selection
Early biogeographers documented biota and how they varied across____, ____, and ___
latitude
altitude
climate
Increasing knowledge of the ___ ___ shows the world’s biota have undergone great change that must’ve occurred over ___ periods of time
fossil record
long
Why was is difficult to convince people of the fossil record’s findings and the theory of evolution?
The church believed life on earth was a recent creation and that species were perfect and unchanging (put there by creator).
The fossil record went against all of this
Darwin’s theory of evolution was a major step in getting the general public to accept a different worldview
If we assume land masses were always stable, it’s difficult to understand patterns of life in the past. What helped us understand?
PLATE TECTONICS provided the key to understanding how earth’s geography and its biota have varied through time
3 key ideas from other disciplines impacted biogeography:
- tremendous age of the earth
- evolution by natural selection
- continental drift/ plate tectonics
*Exam question
What are two advances that have recently transformed biogeography?
- Cladistic Taxonomy
- Molecular methods
Cladistic taxonomy=
a rigorous system for establishing patterns of relationships that could be used as a framework onto which patterns of distribution would be applied
Molecular methods=
provided biologists with a reliable method for analysis of relationships & dating of divergences between lineages
Some themes in biogeography:
- human tendency to ____organisms and biogeographic regions
- _____ the origin, spread, & diversification of biotas
- explaining geographic ____ in species’ characteristics
- Explaining effects of ___, ____, area, and ___ on the number and types of species existing there
- classify
- reconstructing
- variation
- latitude, climate, insolation
Who developed the first detailed classification of living things?
Aristotle (382-322BC)
Aristotle was a ___ philosopher. Explain some of his ideas
greek
His idea was based on the “Natural Ladder”: the entire world could be arranged in a single continuum: each had its allotted rung on the ladder
- He believed that species were fixed (didn’t change), and each form of life was perfect and permanent
-The ladder increased in complexity, with God at the top and then humans.
T/F
Aristotle divided animals into blooded (vertebrates) and bloodless/ cold-blooded (invertebrates). Cold-blooded were associated with the devil, so were closer to the bottom of his ladder
true
How did the Age of Enlightenment (17-18th centuries) impact the field of biogeography?
- European exploration lead to a renaissance of intellectual thought: new species were discovered as they voyaged
- microscopes were invented and Robert Hook discovered cells= building blocks of life
- European naturalists struggled to accommodate this new knowledge with current taxonomic frameworks & opinion of church, so things started to change
Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) was a Swedish ___ and ____. What was he most known for doing?
physician and botanist
He cataloged 6000 plant species and developed the system of binomial nomenclature that we still use (Genus + species)
What were some of Linnaeus’ beliefs?
- God ‘spoke’ to mankind through the natural world, Linnaeus wanted to make sense of God’s patterns & reveal the divine
- species were static entities (god created)
- resemblances among species were explained by the pattern of their creation (not evolutionary realtionships)
George-Louis Levlerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788) was a ___ naturalist. What is he most known for?
French
Buffon’s Law:
similar environments, found in different regions of the world, had similar assemblages of birds and mammals
