BIOB50H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Continental Drift, Gamma Diversity, Beta Diversity

• School: UTSC
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIOB50H3
• Professor: Peter Molnar

Document Summary

Patterns of species diversity and distribution vary at global, regional, and local spatial scales. Biogeography is the study of patterns of species composition and diversity across geographic locations. Patterns of species diversity are interconnected across spatial scales: regional scale: smaller geographic area with roughly uniform climate, regional species pool: all species within region (gamma diversity) Key factors determining patterns of species diversity & composition within each scale: speciation, extinction, dispersal, regional dispersal & extinction, physical conditions & species interactions. Determining the relative influence of regional and local processes from local vs regional species richness. Global patterns of species diversity and composition are influenced by geographic area and isolations, evolutionary history, and global climate. Sir alfred russell wallace: walla(cid:272)e"s o(cid:271)ser(cid:448)atio(cid:374)s (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:271)e explained by continental drift, he identified biogeographic regions using the distribution of terrestrial animals, thus revealing: Earth"s la(cid:374)d (cid:373)ass (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:271)e di(cid:448)ided i(cid:374)to si(cid:454) (cid:271)iogeographi(cid:272) regio(cid:374)s (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h roughl(cid:455) (cid:272)orrespo(cid:374)d to earth"s si(cid:454) (cid:373)ajor te(cid:272)to(cid:374)i(cid:272) plates.