Biogeography

Biogeography is the subfield of physical geography that studies the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. It seeks to explain the patterns of life on Earth by investigating the interplay of physical factors, such as climate, topography, and soil, with historical processes like evolution, continental drift, and past environmental changes. By bridging biology and geography, this discipline provides critical insights into why particular organisms are found in specific locations and how their populations and communities have shifted over millennia.

1. Introduction to Biogeography
   1. Definition and Scope of Biogeography
      1. Core Questions in Biogeography
         1. Patterns of Species Distribution
         2. Processes Influencing Distribution
         3. Temporal Scales of Analysis
         4. Spatial Scales of Analysis
      2. Major Subdisciplines
         1. Historical Biogeography
         2. Ecological Biogeography
         3. Conservation Biogeography
         4. Phylogeography
   2. Relationship to Other Disciplines
      1. Ecology
         1. Community Ecology
         2. Population Ecology
         3. Ecosystem Ecology
         4. Landscape Ecology
      2. Evolutionary Biology
         1. Speciation Processes
         2. Adaptation Mechanisms
         3. Phylogenetic Relationships
         4. Molecular Evolution
      3. Earth Sciences
         1. Geology
         2. Plate Tectonics
         3. Geomorphology
         4. Paleontology
         5. Climatology
         6. Paleoclimatology
      4. Geography
         1. Physical Geography
         2. Human Geography
         3. Spatial Analysis
   3. Historical Development of Biogeography
      1. Early Naturalists and Explorers
         1. Alexander von Humboldt
            1. Plant Geography Foundations
            2. Elevational Zonation Concepts
            3. Isotherm Mapping
         2. Alfred Russel Wallace
            1. Wallace Line Discovery
            2. Biogeographic Realms
            3. Island Biogeography Observations
         3. Charles Darwin
            1. Galápagos Observations
            2. Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
            3. Biogeographic Evidence for Evolution
      2. Development of Modern Theory
         1. Emergence of Historical Biogeography
         2. Development of Ecological Biogeography
         3. Integration of Molecular Methods
         4. Advances in Analytical Techniques
         5. Computer-Based Modeling
   4. Fundamental Principles
      1. Uniformitarianism
         1. Gradualism in Earth Processes
         2. Implications for Species Distributions
      2. Actualism
         1. Present as Key to Past
         2. Application to Fossil Distributions