BIOL 3151 Biogeography

Instructor: Dr. S. Hecnar    Office: CB 4039    Email: shecnar@lakeheadu.ca

 

Lectures: 5:30 - 7:00 pm T & TH in UC 1017    Office hours: TBA

 

Course Description: A study of the distribution and dispersal of organisms.

 

Required Textbook: Lomolino, M.V., B.R. Riddle, R.J. Whittaker, and J.H. Brown. 2010. Biogeography: 4th Edition, Sinauer. ISBN: 978-0-87893-494-2

 

Optional Materials: Lectures in PowerPoint format can be downloaded gratis from the Desire2Learn site for the course.  These slides can provide a good basis for notes but are not a substitute for attending class.  Those that rely only on downloaded lectures will miss out on material that is covered verbally and ultimately used for exam questions.

 

Marking Scheme: 1st Midterm 25%, 2nd Midterm 25%, Problem Work Book 10%, Final Exam 40%

 

Examination Dates: 1st Midterm Tues. Feb. 03rd, 2nd Midterm Tues. March 10th, Final Exam T.B.A.

 

General Information: In this course we cover a lot of material.  Although there are not specific prerequisites, I assume that students understand basic ecological principles.  Maintaining good attendance is for your own benefit.  Examination questions often come from poorly attended lectures.  Missed examinations will be graded zero unless you have an acceptable excuse and supporting documentation.  If you do miss, or expect to miss an exam, contact the instructor as soon as possible.  Noise or distractions during lectures or exams will not be tolerated.  Cell phones must be turned off during lecture.

 

Assignments: There are two assignments, a problem work book and a journal assignment, both are due on the last lecture Thursday April 03.  The problem work book can be downloaded gratis from the Desire2Learn site for the course.  This workbook contains quantitative sample problems related to concepts covered in lecture.  Students are required to read two papers on biogeographical topics from the primary literature (journals).  A one page report summarizing and critiquing each paper (which must be fully cited) must be handed in with the completed workbook on the last lecture Thursday April 03.  The papers will be checked for accuracy and assessed on a pass/fail basis and will be considered when calculating final marks.  Reports submitted must be in your own words.  Plagiarism will result in a final grade of '0' being assigned.  If assignments are not received by the time of the final exam, an incomplete grade for the course will be assigned.

 

Further Reading for Interested Students: The Paterson Library has a considerable, albeit somewhat dated, number of volumes in biogeography.  However, electronic subscription packages allow access to pdf versions of papers in several biogeographical journals.  You can also access pdfs of many published papers by doing keyword searches on Google Scholar.  If you are interested in a particular subtopic, seek out references cited in your text or see the instructor for advice.

 

 

Journal of Biogeography - the primary journal of the discipline. QH 84 J86. (Paper 1974-1984, 1987-1995, electronic 1996-).

 

Biodiversity and Conservation - basic and applied issues in biogeography. (Electronic 1997-)

 

Ecography - a journal publishing many papers in biogeography. QH 540 H64. (Paper 1992-1996, electronic 2000-).

 

Global Ecology and Biodiversity Letters - short fast track publications in biogeography. QH 84 J86L. (Paper 1991-1995, electronic 1998-).

 

Oikos - an ecology journal that often publishes papers in biogeography. QH 540 039. (Paper 1949, 1951-2004, electronic 2000-).

 

American Naturalist - an ecological journal that often publishes papers in biogeography. QH 1 A512. Current subscription (hardcopy 1968-, electronic 1997-).

 

Other ecological journals such as Ecology, Oecologia, Journal of Animal Ecology, and taxon specific journals such as Journal of Mammalogy, and Journal of Herpetology occasionally publish papers on biogeographical topics.  Occasionally, papers on biogeography are also published in scientific news journals such as Science and Nature.

 

 

Brown, J.H., and A.C. Gibson. 1983. Biogeography. Mosby. QH 84 B76.

Carlquist, S. 1974. Island Biology. A detailed account of the evolution of island forms of

    organisms. QH 541.5 I8C37.

Cox, C.B., and P.D. Moore. 2000. Biogeography: an ecological and evolutionary approach.

    6th edition. Blackwell. ISBN 0-86542-778-X. This is the most widely used biogeography

    text and a good alternative text (although less detailed) to Brown and Lomolino. QH 84

    C65 (older edition).

Darwin, C. 1859. The origin of species. Many printings available. All biology students, if not

    everyone, should read this scientific classic which had tremendous impact on how the

    world is viewed. QH 365 02 or PN 6013 H33 v.ll or online

    <http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/>

Hengeveld, R. 1990. Dynamic biogeography. A perspective on biogeography that

    emphasizes the dynamics of distribution. Cambridge. QH 84 H46.

Hubbell, S.P. 2001. The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography. Princeton

    ISBN 0 691 02128 7. A new mathematical theory building on MacArthur and Wilson's

    model of island biogeography that attempts to merge major concepts in ecology and

    biogeography. QH 541.15 B56H83.

Lomolino, M.V., and J.H. Brown. 1998. Biogeography, 2nd edition. Sinauer ISBN 0 87893

    073 6. The previous edition of our textbook.

Lomolino, M.V. and L.R. Heaney. 2004. Frontiers of Biogeography: New directions in the

    Geography of Nature, Sinauer. An edited volume on emerging concepts in the field of

    biogeography.

MacArthur, R.H., and E.O. Wilson. 1967. The theory of island biogeography. Monographs in

    Population Biology No. 1. Princeton. A detailed description of the equilibrium model of

    island biogeography which created a revolution in the field of biogeography. QH 85 M12.

Pielou, E.C. 1979. Biogeography. John Wiley. An older and more mathematical treatment of

    topics in biogeography. QH 84 P53.

Spellerberg, I.F., and J.W.D. Sawyer. 1999. An introduction to applied biogeography. A

    concise treatment of biogeography from an applied perspective. QH 84 S7.

Wallace, A.R. 1880. Island life. The summary of a life's work studying the distribution of

    island forms by the 'father of biogeography'. QH 85 W18.

Whittaker, R.J. 1998. Island biogeography: ecology, evolution, and conservation. Oxford.

    A detailed treatment of the topic of island biogegraphy. QH 541.5 I8W48.

 

 

Crosby, A.W. 1986. Ecological imperialism: the biological expansion of Europe, 900 - 1900.

    Cambridge. An informative account of how Europeans facilitated species invasions. GF

    50 C76.

Dale, V.H., F.J. Swanson, and C.M. Crisafulli. 2005. Ecological Responses to the 1980

    Eruption of Mount St. Helens. Springer. ISBN 0 387 23850 6. An edited volume that

    examines the return of life after the volcanic eruption.

Diamond, J.M. 1997. Guns, germs and steel: the fates of human societies. A Pulitzer prize

    winning book explaining the distribution of humans, development of civilization, and the

    disparate success of human societies from a geographical perspective. Norton. HM 206

    D48.

Diamond, J.M. 2005. Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed. An examination of

    the environmental causes of collapse of civilizations.

Homer-Dixon, T. 2006. The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the   Renewal of Civilization. Vintage Canada.  ISBN: 978-0676977233

Jackson, M.H. 1993. Galapagos: a natural history. Univ. of Calgary Press. A highly readable

    book on the patterns of nature on the islands that inspired Darwin to develop his theory of

    natural selection. ISBN 1 895176 40 9.

Mayr, E., and J.M. Diamond. 2001. The birds of northern Melanesia: speciation, ecology,

    and biogeography. Oxford. ISBN 019 514170. QL 691 B52M38 2001.

Quammen, D. 1996. The song of the dodo: island biogeography in an age of extinctions.

    Touchstone. ISBN 0-684-82712-3. This popular book provides an entertaining read

    covering the development of the field and its contemporary importance.

Raup, D.M. 1991. Extinction: bad genes or bad luck. Norton. ISBN 0-393-30927-4. An

    interesting book on mass extinctions.

Rosenzweig, M.L. 1995. Species diversity in space and time. Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-

    499552-6. A very thorough treatment of the species-area effect and an argument that area explains the latitudinal gradient in species richness.

Thompson, K. 2014. Where Do Camels Belong?: Why Invasive Species Aren't All Bad. Greystone, Vancouver. ISBN 978-1-77164-096-1. A book that questions native versus alien species and the importance of invasiveness as a fundamental concept. 

Thornton, I. 1996. Krakatau: the destruction and reassembly of an island ecosystem. A

    fascinating account chronicling the recovery of life on perhaps the world's most watched

    island. ISBN 0-674-50572-7.

Wilson, E.O. 1992. The diversity of life. Belknap ISBN 0-674-21298-3. A popular account of

    biological diversity and a plea for its conservation by one of the most influential living

    ecologist/biogeographers.

Wright, R.  2006.  An Illustrated Short History of Progress.  Anansi, Toronto.  ISBN: 978-0-  88784-206-1.  CB W75 2006, CD 303.44 W75 2004 (Audio, Massey Lectures) Education   Library.

 

Literature Searches: The library subscribes to two databases, Web of Science and Biological Abstracts that cover journals carrying articles on biogeography. Web of Science provides information (including abstracts) on articles published since 1998 and is updated weekly. Information on how to access these databases can be obtained from the reference desk in the Paterson Library.  Using Google Scholar can also be a useful methods to find papers and it will indicate if a pdf file is available via the web.

 

Reserve Materials: A folder containing course information and supplemental materials (e.g. practice problems, related readings) may be kept in the library at the circulation desk under the instructor's name and course number. The library also has copies of some past final examinations which were provided by the university. These can be helpful to some students as examples of the types of questions you may be asked in examinations. However, keep in mind that courses evolve and questions change. The instructor will not provide answers to questions from previous examinations held in the library.

 

 

Introduction to biogeography (Chap. 1 in the text)

Historical development (Chap. 2)

 

Historical development cont.

Physical setting (Chap. 3)

Physical setting cont.

 

Distributions of species (Chap. 4)

Distributions of communities and biomes (Chap. 5)

Communities and biomes cont.

 

Diversity of communities and biomes (slide presentation)

Dynamic earth (Chap. 8)

Glaciation (Chap. 9)

 

Speciation (Chap. 7)

Extinction (Chap.7)

 

Dispersal (Chap. 6)

Endemism, provincialism & disjunction (Chap. 10)

History of Lineages (Chap. 11)

 

Reconstructing Histories (Chap. 12)

Histories cont.

Island biogeography - species richness (Chap. 13)

 

 

Island biogeography - assembly & evolution of communities

Island biogeography cont. (Chap. 14)

Island biogeography cont.

 

Continental & Marine patterns of species diversity (Chap. 15)

Continental Patterns and processes (Chap. 15)

 

Continental patterns & processes cont.

Biodiversity (Chap. 16)

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation (Chap. 16)

 

Global Warming (Chap. 16)

Species invasions (Chap. 16)

Species invasions (video)

 

Human biogeography (Chap. 16)

Human biogeography cont.

The future of biogeography (Chap. 17)