A. Townsend Peterson, Jorge Soberón, Richard G. Pearson, Robert P. Anderson, Enrique Martínez-Meyer, Miguel Nakamura, and Miguel B. Araújo
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691136868
- eISBN:
- 9781400840670
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691136868.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This book provides a first synthetic view of an emerging area of ecology and biogeography, linking individual- and population-level processes to geographic distributions and biodiversity patterns. ...
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This book provides a first synthetic view of an emerging area of ecology and biogeography, linking individual- and population-level processes to geographic distributions and biodiversity patterns. Problems in evolutionary ecology, macroecology, and biogeography are illuminated by this integrative view. The book focuses on correlative approaches known as ecological niche modeling, species distribution modeling, or habitat suitability modeling, which use associations between known occurrences of species and environmental variables to identify environmental conditions under which populations can be maintained. The spatial distribution of environments suitable for the species can then be estimated: a potential distribution for the species. This approach has broad applicability to ecology, evolution, biogeography, and conservation biology, as well as to understanding the geographic potential of invasive species and infectious diseases, and the biological implications of climate change. The book lays out conceptual foundations and general principles for understanding and interpreting species distributions with respect to geography and environment. Focus is on development of niche models. While serving as a guide for students and researchers, the book also provides a theoretical framework to support future progress in the field.Less
This book provides a first synthetic view of an emerging area of ecology and biogeography, linking individual- and population-level processes to geographic distributions and biodiversity patterns. Problems in evolutionary ecology, macroecology, and biogeography are illuminated by this integrative view. The book focuses on correlative approaches known as ecological niche modeling, species distribution modeling, or habitat suitability modeling, which use associations between known occurrences of species and environmental variables to identify environmental conditions under which populations can be maintained. The spatial distribution of environments suitable for the species can then be estimated: a potential distribution for the species. This approach has broad applicability to ecology, evolution, biogeography, and conservation biology, as well as to understanding the geographic potential of invasive species and infectious diseases, and the biological implications of climate change. The book lays out conceptual foundations and general principles for understanding and interpreting species distributions with respect to geography and environment. Focus is on development of niche models. While serving as a guide for students and researchers, the book also provides a theoretical framework to support future progress in the field.
Milla Rautio, Ian A.E. Bayly, John A.E. Gibson, and Marjut Nyman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213887
- eISBN:
- 9780191707506
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213887.003.0013
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Aquatic Biology
The biodiversity of zooplankton and zoobenthos decreases towards high latitudes, though the two poles have different species compositions despite environmental similarities in temperature, habitat ...
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The biodiversity of zooplankton and zoobenthos decreases towards high latitudes, though the two poles have different species compositions despite environmental similarities in temperature, habitat structure, and light cycle. Different geological history and accessibility largely explain the faunal differences between the poles. While some species live close to their environmental tolerance in the cold polar regions, others have adapted to life at low temperatures. This chapter describes the unique cold-water communities of zooplankton and zoobenthos in the two polar regions. It reviews the most important factors that define the zoogeography and diversity of freshwater invertebrates in the Arctic and Antarctic, and provides detail on the ecology and life-history of some key zooplankton and aquatic insects. The final section considers how climate change, especially elevated temperature and increase in UV radiation, are altering high-latitude aquatic invertebrate communities.Less
The biodiversity of zooplankton and zoobenthos decreases towards high latitudes, though the two poles have different species compositions despite environmental similarities in temperature, habitat structure, and light cycle. Different geological history and accessibility largely explain the faunal differences between the poles. While some species live close to their environmental tolerance in the cold polar regions, others have adapted to life at low temperatures. This chapter describes the unique cold-water communities of zooplankton and zoobenthos in the two polar regions. It reviews the most important factors that define the zoogeography and diversity of freshwater invertebrates in the Arctic and Antarctic, and provides detail on the ecology and life-history of some key zooplankton and aquatic insects. The final section considers how climate change, especially elevated temperature and increase in UV radiation, are altering high-latitude aquatic invertebrate communities.
Jonathan S. Friedlaender (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195300307
- eISBN:
- 9780199790142
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300307.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The broad arc of islands north of Australia, extending from Indonesia east towards the central Pacific, is home to a set of human populations whose diversity is unsurpassed elsewhere. Approximately ...
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The broad arc of islands north of Australia, extending from Indonesia east towards the central Pacific, is home to a set of human populations whose diversity is unsurpassed elsewhere. Approximately 20% of the world's languages are spoken here, and the biological and genetic heterogeneity among the groups is also extraordinary. This book describes the origins of the genetic and linguistic variation there. It lays out the very complex structure of the variation within and among the islands in this relatively small but important region. This book applies genetic analyses to an intensively sampled set of populations, and subjects these and complementary linguistic data to a variety of phylogenetic analyses. This reveals a number of heretofore unknown ancient Pleistocene genetic variants that are only found in these island populations, and identifies the genetic footprints of more recent migrants from Southeast Asia who were the ancestors of the Polynesians. Finally, a number of explanatory models are tested to see which best account for the observed pattern of genetic variation. The results indicate that a number of commonly used models of evolutionary divergence and biogeography are overly simple in their assumptions, and that human diversity often has accumulated in very complex ways.Less
The broad arc of islands north of Australia, extending from Indonesia east towards the central Pacific, is home to a set of human populations whose diversity is unsurpassed elsewhere. Approximately 20% of the world's languages are spoken here, and the biological and genetic heterogeneity among the groups is also extraordinary. This book describes the origins of the genetic and linguistic variation there. It lays out the very complex structure of the variation within and among the islands in this relatively small but important region. This book applies genetic analyses to an intensively sampled set of populations, and subjects these and complementary linguistic data to a variety of phylogenetic analyses. This reveals a number of heretofore unknown ancient Pleistocene genetic variants that are only found in these island populations, and identifies the genetic footprints of more recent migrants from Southeast Asia who were the ancestors of the Polynesians. Finally, a number of explanatory models are tested to see which best account for the observed pattern of genetic variation. The results indicate that a number of commonly used models of evolutionary divergence and biogeography are overly simple in their assumptions, and that human diversity often has accumulated in very complex ways.
A. Townsend Peterson, Jorge Soberón, Richard G. Pearson, Robert P. Anderson, Enrique Martínez-Meyer, Miguel Nakamura, and Miguel Bastos Araújo
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691136868
- eISBN:
- 9781400840670
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691136868.003.0015
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This chapter examines how the process of ecological niche evolution and diversification helps us better understand ecology, biogeography, and biodiversity. It first considers how species respond to ...
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This chapter examines how the process of ecological niche evolution and diversification helps us better understand ecology, biogeography, and biodiversity. It first considers how species respond to changes in the environmental substrate on which the niches are manifested before discussing the concept of niche conservatism as well as tests of conservatism in areas such as species invasions and comparison of the ecological niche requirements of sister–species pairs. It then explores how temporal change in niche dimensions occurs, how it can be studied, and what can be learned. It also describes some of the challenges associated with applications of ecological niche modeling in the realm of evolution and concludes by outlining future directions for research.Less
This chapter examines how the process of ecological niche evolution and diversification helps us better understand ecology, biogeography, and biodiversity. It first considers how species respond to changes in the environmental substrate on which the niches are manifested before discussing the concept of niche conservatism as well as tests of conservatism in areas such as species invasions and comparison of the ecological niche requirements of sister–species pairs. It then explores how temporal change in niche dimensions occurs, how it can be studied, and what can be learned. It also describes some of the challenges associated with applications of ecological niche modeling in the realm of evolution and concludes by outlining future directions for research.
Jonathan S. Friedlaender
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195300307
- eISBN:
- 9780199790142
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300307.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This introductory chapter describes the outline, focus, and themes of the book. The book describes the genetic and linguistic diversity in the key region of Northern Island Melanesia. Recurrent ...
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This introductory chapter describes the outline, focus, and themes of the book. The book describes the genetic and linguistic diversity in the key region of Northern Island Melanesia. Recurrent themes of the book are laid out. These are: the influence of the island biogeography (a series of stepping-stone islands extending from Southeast Asia into the Pacific); the dynamics of small populations (even some of the larger islands had carrying capacities of under 1,000 people in pre-Neolithic times); very limited marital migration distances in inland (bush) communities vs. more extensive marital migration rates along shoreline communities; intensifying mobility after the isolation of initial settlement, aided by better seafaring technology in the Holocene; and later immigration of distinct peoples from Island Southeast Asia, who spoke Austronesian (Oceanic) languages and settled along the shorelines and the small islands, so that language distinctions are associated to a degree with the pattern of diversity. The succeeding chapters are summarized.Less
This introductory chapter describes the outline, focus, and themes of the book. The book describes the genetic and linguistic diversity in the key region of Northern Island Melanesia. Recurrent themes of the book are laid out. These are: the influence of the island biogeography (a series of stepping-stone islands extending from Southeast Asia into the Pacific); the dynamics of small populations (even some of the larger islands had carrying capacities of under 1,000 people in pre-Neolithic times); very limited marital migration distances in inland (bush) communities vs. more extensive marital migration rates along shoreline communities; intensifying mobility after the isolation of initial settlement, aided by better seafaring technology in the Holocene; and later immigration of distinct peoples from Island Southeast Asia, who spoke Austronesian (Oceanic) languages and settled along the shorelines and the small islands, so that language distinctions are associated to a degree with the pattern of diversity. The succeeding chapters are summarized.
Peter Hogarth
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198568704
- eISBN:
- 9780191717536
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198568704.003.0010
- Subject:
- Biology, Aquatic Biology
This chapter examines the intersecting questions of biodiversity and biogeography: what determines the diversity and distribution of mangrove and seagrass species throughout the world? Topics covered ...
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This chapter examines the intersecting questions of biodiversity and biogeography: what determines the diversity and distribution of mangrove and seagrass species throughout the world? Topics covered include the meaning of biodiversity, mangroves, regional diversity, genetic diversity, seagrass biogeography and biodiversity, diversity and ecosystem function.Less
This chapter examines the intersecting questions of biodiversity and biogeography: what determines the diversity and distribution of mangrove and seagrass species throughout the world? Topics covered include the meaning of biodiversity, mangroves, regional diversity, genetic diversity, seagrass biogeography and biodiversity, diversity and ecosystem function.
Bryan Shorrocks
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198570660
- eISBN:
- 9780191717680
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570660.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This chapter looks at energy flow through the community (primary and secondary production) and food web dynamics. It includes a brief examination of the diversity-stability idea. A detailed flow ...
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This chapter looks at energy flow through the community (primary and secondary production) and food web dynamics. It includes a brief examination of the diversity-stability idea. A detailed flow diagram of the Serengeti ecosystem, along with modelling attempts on this system are examined. This dynamic, interacting web brings to light the importance of cascading interactions (e.g., rinderpest-wildebeest-green grass-dry grass-fire-trees-giraffes), and therefore the multiple interconnection of species. Mention is made of ‘keystone’ species. There is a section on ‘assembly rules’ for savannah communities, including body-size distributions for grazing and browsing ungulates. This section ends with an exploration of virtual island biogeography (protected areas) and the long-term predictions for species numbers. Can ideas from ‘island biogeography’ help us to design National Parks and Nature Reserves? This leads onto conservation issues. The conservation issues for savannahs centre around tourism, hunting (both for trophies and bush meat), and the conflicts between farmers/ranchers and wildlife. This chapter ends with an examination of these issues.Less
This chapter looks at energy flow through the community (primary and secondary production) and food web dynamics. It includes a brief examination of the diversity-stability idea. A detailed flow diagram of the Serengeti ecosystem, along with modelling attempts on this system are examined. This dynamic, interacting web brings to light the importance of cascading interactions (e.g., rinderpest-wildebeest-green grass-dry grass-fire-trees-giraffes), and therefore the multiple interconnection of species. Mention is made of ‘keystone’ species. There is a section on ‘assembly rules’ for savannah communities, including body-size distributions for grazing and browsing ungulates. This section ends with an exploration of virtual island biogeography (protected areas) and the long-term predictions for species numbers. Can ideas from ‘island biogeography’ help us to design National Parks and Nature Reserves? This leads onto conservation issues. The conservation issues for savannahs centre around tourism, hunting (both for trophies and bush meat), and the conflicts between farmers/ranchers and wildlife. This chapter ends with an examination of these issues.
Brian L. Fisher
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199544639
- eISBN:
- 9780191720192
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544639.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
The present‐day distribution of ants reflects the influence of geography, geology, and climate on the origin, diversification, and spread of a lineage. Though the process is complex and often ...
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The present‐day distribution of ants reflects the influence of geography, geology, and climate on the origin, diversification, and spread of a lineage. Though the process is complex and often difficult to reconstruct for a given taxon, two important overall patterns emerge: taxa are neither randomly nor uniformly distributed across the earth, and endemic taxa are clustered in particular regions. The greatest ant diversity and endemicity are found in the tropics and the Gondwanaland fragments of South America, Africa, and Australia. Lines of inquiry that combine exhaustive inventories, taxonomic revisions, and phylogenetics will enable a more rigorous approach to the study of biogeography. Islands offer a model system to explore these questions. Due to their range in size, origin, degree of isolation, and habitat types, the south‐west Indian Ocean islands are an ideal model system to explore the relative impact of biogeographic factors on species diversity.Less
The present‐day distribution of ants reflects the influence of geography, geology, and climate on the origin, diversification, and spread of a lineage. Though the process is complex and often difficult to reconstruct for a given taxon, two important overall patterns emerge: taxa are neither randomly nor uniformly distributed across the earth, and endemic taxa are clustered in particular regions. The greatest ant diversity and endemicity are found in the tropics and the Gondwanaland fragments of South America, Africa, and Australia. Lines of inquiry that combine exhaustive inventories, taxonomic revisions, and phylogenetics will enable a more rigorous approach to the study of biogeography. Islands offer a model system to explore these questions. Due to their range in size, origin, degree of isolation, and habitat types, the south‐west Indian Ocean islands are an ideal model system to explore the relative impact of biogeographic factors on species diversity.
Lynne R. Parenti and Malte C. Ebach
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520259454
- eISBN:
- 9780520944398
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520259454.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Biogeography is a naturally integrative field of study that helps explore data on the diversity, phylogeny, and distribution of organisms to reveal the biological and geographical history of Earth. ...
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Biogeography is a naturally integrative field of study that helps explore data on the diversity, phylogeny, and distribution of organisms to reveal the biological and geographical history of Earth. This book aims to establish comparative biogeography, a method that uses the naturally hierarchical phylogenetic relationships of clades to discover the biotic area relationships among local and global biogeographic regions. It details the foundations of comparative biogeography and how they relate to two types of biogeographic investigation: systematic biogeography and evolutionary biogeography. The book reviews current methods of biogeography, especially with regard to how they relate to the goal of biotic area classification; addresses the relationship between geology and biological distribution; and attempts to discover what triggers evolution of biodiversity and distribution patterns.Less
Biogeography is a naturally integrative field of study that helps explore data on the diversity, phylogeny, and distribution of organisms to reveal the biological and geographical history of Earth. This book aims to establish comparative biogeography, a method that uses the naturally hierarchical phylogenetic relationships of clades to discover the biotic area relationships among local and global biogeographic regions. It details the foundations of comparative biogeography and how they relate to two types of biogeographic investigation: systematic biogeography and evolutionary biogeography. The book reviews current methods of biogeography, especially with regard to how they relate to the goal of biotic area classification; addresses the relationship between geology and biological distribution; and attempts to discover what triggers evolution of biodiversity and distribution patterns.
David Ward
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199211470
- eISBN:
- 9780191728143
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199211470.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology, and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book ...
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This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology, and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although conservation and experimental aspects are also considered. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions; a consequence of this aridity is that most of the area occupied by desert is barren and monotonous, leading many people to regard it as wasteland. However, deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly biodiverse environments, although it is the relative simplicity of these ecosystems that makes them more tractable for study than more complex environments. In these resource-poor locations, natural selection is working at its greatest extreme, and provides some of the best-known examples of Darwinian selection. The Biology of Deserts includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues, including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation.Less
This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology, and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although conservation and experimental aspects are also considered. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions; a consequence of this aridity is that most of the area occupied by desert is barren and monotonous, leading many people to regard it as wasteland. However, deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly biodiverse environments, although it is the relative simplicity of these ecosystems that makes them more tractable for study than more complex environments. In these resource-poor locations, natural selection is working at its greatest extreme, and provides some of the best-known examples of Darwinian selection. The Biology of Deserts includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues, including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation.
David R. Schiel and Michael S. Foster
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780520278868
- eISBN:
- 9780520961098
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520278868.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
The largest seaweed, giant kelp (Macrocystis) is the fastest growing and most prolific of all plants found on earth. Growing from the seafloor and extending along the ocean surface in lush canopies, ...
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The largest seaweed, giant kelp (Macrocystis) is the fastest growing and most prolific of all plants found on earth. Growing from the seafloor and extending along the ocean surface in lush canopies, giant kelp provides an extensive vertical habitat in a largely two-dimensional seascape. It is the foundation for one of the most species-rich, productive, and widely distributed ecological communities in the world. This review takes the reader from Darwin's early observations to contemporary research, providing a historical perspective for the modern understanding of giant kelp evolution, biogeography, biology, and physiology. The chapters furnish a discussion of kelp species and forest ecology worldwide, with considerations of human uses and abuses, management and conservation, and the current and likely future impacts of global change.Less
The largest seaweed, giant kelp (Macrocystis) is the fastest growing and most prolific of all plants found on earth. Growing from the seafloor and extending along the ocean surface in lush canopies, giant kelp provides an extensive vertical habitat in a largely two-dimensional seascape. It is the foundation for one of the most species-rich, productive, and widely distributed ecological communities in the world. This review takes the reader from Darwin's early observations to contemporary research, providing a historical perspective for the modern understanding of giant kelp evolution, biogeography, biology, and physiology. The chapters furnish a discussion of kelp species and forest ecology worldwide, with considerations of human uses and abuses, management and conservation, and the current and likely future impacts of global change.
Maarten Kappelle (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226121505
- eISBN:
- 9780226121642
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226121642.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
The first book to deal in an integrated manner the full range of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems that occur in Costa Rica, Costa Rican Ecosystems provides an overview of Costa Rica’s ...
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The first book to deal in an integrated manner the full range of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems that occur in Costa Rica, Costa Rican Ecosystems provides an overview of Costa Rica’s main ecosystems by compiling information about their physical settings, biogeography, species diversity, and much more. Rather than follow a technical or clinical approach with a hierarchical categorization of ecosystems, Costa Rica’s dense ecology is explored in a “journey-wise” sequence that provides familiarity and understanding of the country’s full, varied range of intergrading seascapes and landscapes. The book begins with three introductory chapters focusing on Costa Rica’s climate, geology, and soils to provide an understanding of the medium in which its ecology has developed, and then proceeds with a presentation of each of the country’s ecosystems. These chapters review the research to provide a detailed description of each ecosystem, from its location, extent, and general function, to its characteristic species and the ways in which these species interact. The authors provide a summary of the effects that humans have had on the environment in each case, as well as the history, challenges, and successes of the relevant conservation efforts. This book, a culmination of decades of scientific achievement and experience, provides an intellectual template upon which sustainability can be built for Costa Rica and a model for an ecosystems overview that all nations should aspire to and emulate.Less
The first book to deal in an integrated manner the full range of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems that occur in Costa Rica, Costa Rican Ecosystems provides an overview of Costa Rica’s main ecosystems by compiling information about their physical settings, biogeography, species diversity, and much more. Rather than follow a technical or clinical approach with a hierarchical categorization of ecosystems, Costa Rica’s dense ecology is explored in a “journey-wise” sequence that provides familiarity and understanding of the country’s full, varied range of intergrading seascapes and landscapes. The book begins with three introductory chapters focusing on Costa Rica’s climate, geology, and soils to provide an understanding of the medium in which its ecology has developed, and then proceeds with a presentation of each of the country’s ecosystems. These chapters review the research to provide a detailed description of each ecosystem, from its location, extent, and general function, to its characteristic species and the ways in which these species interact. The authors provide a summary of the effects that humans have had on the environment in each case, as well as the history, challenges, and successes of the relevant conservation efforts. This book, a culmination of decades of scientific achievement and experience, provides an intellectual template upon which sustainability can be built for Costa Rica and a model for an ecosystems overview that all nations should aspire to and emulate.
Justin E. H. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153643
- eISBN:
- 9781400866311
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153643.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter turns to François Bernier's contribution to the history of racial thinking. This French physician and traveler is often credited with being the key innovator of the modern race concept. ...
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This chapter turns to François Bernier's contribution to the history of racial thinking. This French physician and traveler is often credited with being the key innovator of the modern race concept. While some rigorous scholarship has recently appeared questioning Bernier's significance, his racial theory is seldom placed in his context as a Gassendian natural philosopher who was, in particular, intent to bring his own brand of modern, materialistic philosophy to bear in his experiences in the Moghul Empire in Persia and northern India. The chapter argues that Bernier's principal innovation was to effectively decouple the concept of race from considerations of lineage, and instead to conceptualize it in biogeographical terms in which the precise origins or causes of the original differences of human physical appearance from region to region remain underdetermined.Less
This chapter turns to François Bernier's contribution to the history of racial thinking. This French physician and traveler is often credited with being the key innovator of the modern race concept. While some rigorous scholarship has recently appeared questioning Bernier's significance, his racial theory is seldom placed in his context as a Gassendian natural philosopher who was, in particular, intent to bring his own brand of modern, materialistic philosophy to bear in his experiences in the Moghul Empire in Persia and northern India. The chapter argues that Bernier's principal innovation was to effectively decouple the concept of race from considerations of lineage, and instead to conceptualize it in biogeographical terms in which the precise origins or causes of the original differences of human physical appearance from region to region remain underdetermined.
James G. Sanderson and Stuart L. Pimm
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226292724
- eISBN:
- 9780226292861
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226292861.003.0011
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
We find the patterns intriguing for several reasons. This is not because we are surprised by competition as a process. There is abundant evidence that similar species compete. What is interesting is ...
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We find the patterns intriguing for several reasons. This is not because we are surprised by competition as a process. There is abundant evidence that similar species compete. What is interesting is the scale and extent over which competition plays out. At issue was not whether competition is intensive enough to affect species abundance at small scales, but rather was it extensive enough to shape the large-scale patterns of nature? Our maps discuss patterns across millions of square kilometers. Our impression of papers in community ecology was that this debate led to small-scale, experimental studies with fewer species, eschewing the issues at larger scales. If so, that would be unfortunate. Biogeographical patterns have exercised considerable historical significance. The checkerboard of the Galápagos mockingbirds and patterns of mutual exclusivity in the Amazon and insular Southeast Asia were vital clues that gave Darwin and Wallace their ideas about evolution. We assert that community ecologists now have powerful software and hardware tools to uncover subtle patterns in nature.Less
We find the patterns intriguing for several reasons. This is not because we are surprised by competition as a process. There is abundant evidence that similar species compete. What is interesting is the scale and extent over which competition plays out. At issue was not whether competition is intensive enough to affect species abundance at small scales, but rather was it extensive enough to shape the large-scale patterns of nature? Our maps discuss patterns across millions of square kilometers. Our impression of papers in community ecology was that this debate led to small-scale, experimental studies with fewer species, eschewing the issues at larger scales. If so, that would be unfortunate. Biogeographical patterns have exercised considerable historical significance. The checkerboard of the Galápagos mockingbirds and patterns of mutual exclusivity in the Amazon and insular Southeast Asia were vital clues that gave Darwin and Wallace their ideas about evolution. We assert that community ecologists now have powerful software and hardware tools to uncover subtle patterns in nature.
Geoffrey E. Hill
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195148480
- eISBN:
- 9780199893683
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195148480.003.0010
- Subject:
- Biology, Ornithology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter presents the biogeography of the House Finches, which has an extensive range across North America. House Finches were accidentally established by people on the east coast in the mid-20th ...
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This chapter presents the biogeography of the House Finches, which has an extensive range across North America. House Finches were accidentally established by people on the east coast in the mid-20th century and had spread throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada by the late 20th century. Across their native range in western North America, taxonomists recognize eighteen subspecies of House Finches. Across their range, male House Finches vary in the size of their red throat/breast patch as well as in the brightness of red coloration.Less
This chapter presents the biogeography of the House Finches, which has an extensive range across North America. House Finches were accidentally established by people on the east coast in the mid-20th century and had spread throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada by the late 20th century. Across their native range in western North America, taxonomists recognize eighteen subspecies of House Finches. Across their range, male House Finches vary in the size of their red throat/breast patch as well as in the brightness of red coloration.
Lynne R. Parenti and Malte C. Ebach
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520259454
- eISBN:
- 9780520944398
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520259454.003.0010
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This concluding chapter presents the vision for a global biogeography, arguing that biogeography is a Big Science which deserves the attention and resources given to other large-scale, global ...
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This concluding chapter presents the vision for a global biogeography, arguing that biogeography is a Big Science which deserves the attention and resources given to other large-scale, global scientific efforts. Global projects can accelerate species discovery, taxon and area descriptions, and cybertaxonomy, and can set a standard for collaborative scientific research in the twenty-first century.Less
This concluding chapter presents the vision for a global biogeography, arguing that biogeography is a Big Science which deserves the attention and resources given to other large-scale, global scientific efforts. Global projects can accelerate species discovery, taxon and area descriptions, and cybertaxonomy, and can set a standard for collaborative scientific research in the twenty-first century.
Lynne R. Parenti and Malte C. Ebach
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520259454
- eISBN:
- 9780520944398
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520259454.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Systematic biogeography, the discovery of classification of regions based on biotic area homologies, is a newly emerging method of biogeography that bridges phylogenetic and distribution patterns. ...
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Systematic biogeography, the discovery of classification of regions based on biotic area homologies, is a newly emerging method of biogeography that bridges phylogenetic and distribution patterns. This chapter reviews the history of area classification as it relates to the development of comparative biogeography, and introduces the notion of area relationship, known as area homology, which forms the basis of geographical congruence or area monophyly. The chapter focuses on the application of a systematic biogeography to demonstrate biotic area homology, and then explores mechanisms or processes that may have given rise to general patterns or expressions of area relationships.Less
Systematic biogeography, the discovery of classification of regions based on biotic area homologies, is a newly emerging method of biogeography that bridges phylogenetic and distribution patterns. This chapter reviews the history of area classification as it relates to the development of comparative biogeography, and introduces the notion of area relationship, known as area homology, which forms the basis of geographical congruence or area monophyly. The chapter focuses on the application of a systematic biogeography to demonstrate biotic area homology, and then explores mechanisms or processes that may have given rise to general patterns or expressions of area relationships.
David Ward
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- October 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198732754
- eISBN:
- 9780191796982
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198732754.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary and applied focus. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions. Deserts are widespread ...
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This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary and applied focus. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions. Deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly diverse environments, although it is their relative simplicity that makes them more tractable for study than more mesic environments. In these resource-poor environments, natural selection is working at its most extreme and provides some of the best-known examples of natural selection. This book covers a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of competition, facilitation, predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. This book features a balance of plant and animal examples, and also addresses topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. In this edition, considerable attention is also focused on the effects of climate change and some of its likely effects on deserts. Too much emphasis has been placed on global warming and not global changes per se. While ultimately the world will continue to heat up as fossil fuels are burned, many people struggle to understand that it is human-induced changes in the world rather than a simple case of warming that is likely to occur. Thus, greater variations in temperature and rainfall are also consequences of the ways that we are altering our world. Among these varied effects, desertification is often among the most egregious, leading ultimately to the increasing size of arid and semi-arid regions.Less
This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary and applied focus. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions. Deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly diverse environments, although it is their relative simplicity that makes them more tractable for study than more mesic environments. In these resource-poor environments, natural selection is working at its most extreme and provides some of the best-known examples of natural selection. This book covers a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of competition, facilitation, predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. This book features a balance of plant and animal examples, and also addresses topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. In this edition, considerable attention is also focused on the effects of climate change and some of its likely effects on deserts. Too much emphasis has been placed on global warming and not global changes per se. While ultimately the world will continue to heat up as fossil fuels are burned, many people struggle to understand that it is human-induced changes in the world rather than a simple case of warming that is likely to occur. Thus, greater variations in temperature and rainfall are also consequences of the ways that we are altering our world. Among these varied effects, desertification is often among the most egregious, leading ultimately to the increasing size of arid and semi-arid regions.
Michael Heads
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520271968
- eISBN:
- 9780520951808
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520271968.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Molecular studies have revealed highly ordered geographic patterns in plant and animal groups, and this book discusses examples from the tropics. During evolution, phases of community immobilism that ...
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Molecular studies have revealed highly ordered geographic patterns in plant and animal groups, and this book discusses examples from the tropics. During evolution, phases of community immobilism that lead to allopatric differentiation alternate with phases of mobilism that lead to range expansion and overlap of taxa. Both phases are caused by geological and climatic factors rather than group-specific factors such as ecology or means of dispersal. In primates, the endemism of high-level taxa in tropical America (New World monkeys) and Madagascar (lemurs) is attributed to Gondwana breakup, while the extensive overlap of clades in South America, Africa, and Asia may have been caused by range expansion during Cretaceous marine transgressions. In the central Pacific, former high islands of the Cretaceous (now seamounts and atolls) may have been important source areas for the biotas of the current islands. The integration of earth history, biogeography, and ecology proposed here leads to an alternative view of evolution, in which groups are much older than suggested by the fossil record and fossil-calibrated molecular clocks. The book concludes with a critique of adaptation by selection, based on biogeography and recent work in genetics.Less
Molecular studies have revealed highly ordered geographic patterns in plant and animal groups, and this book discusses examples from the tropics. During evolution, phases of community immobilism that lead to allopatric differentiation alternate with phases of mobilism that lead to range expansion and overlap of taxa. Both phases are caused by geological and climatic factors rather than group-specific factors such as ecology or means of dispersal. In primates, the endemism of high-level taxa in tropical America (New World monkeys) and Madagascar (lemurs) is attributed to Gondwana breakup, while the extensive overlap of clades in South America, Africa, and Asia may have been caused by range expansion during Cretaceous marine transgressions. In the central Pacific, former high islands of the Cretaceous (now seamounts and atolls) may have been important source areas for the biotas of the current islands. The integration of earth history, biogeography, and ecology proposed here leads to an alternative view of evolution, in which groups are much older than suggested by the fossil record and fossil-calibrated molecular clocks. The book concludes with a critique of adaptation by selection, based on biogeography and recent work in genetics.
Jaboury Ghazoul
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199639656
- eISBN:
- 9780191827167
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199639656.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Plant Sciences and Forestry, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
Asian tropical forests are among the most diverse on the planet, a richness that belies the fact that they are dominated by a single tropical tree family, the Dipterocarpaceae. Many other families ...
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Asian tropical forests are among the most diverse on the planet, a richness that belies the fact that they are dominated by a single tropical tree family, the Dipterocarpaceae. Many other families contribute to Asia’s natural diversity, but few compare to the dipterocarps in the number and variety of species that occupy the forest canopy. Understanding the ecology and dynamics of Asian forests is, to a very great extent, a study of the Dipterocarpaceae. This book synthesizes current knowledge on the dipterocarps. The family is explored through ecological, evolutionary, and biogeographic perspectives. The variety of dipterocarp forest formations in both the ever-wet and seasonal tropics is described, with due consideration given to the poorly known African and South American dipterocarp species. The considerable progress on the phylogeny and biogeography of the family is synthesized. A chapter on dipterocarp reproductive ecology, and particularly masting behaviour, reflects the considerable research interest attributed to this subject and its importance in shaping the ecology of Asian lowland rain forests in particular. Ecophysiological responses to light, water, and nutrients, which underlie mechanisms that maintain dipterocarp species richness, are addressed in separate chapters. At broader scales, dipterocarp responses to variation in soil, topography, climate, and natural disturbance regimes are explored from population and community perspectives in two additional chapters. The book concludes with a consideration of the economic values of dipterocarps and the recent and ongoing threats to dipterocarp forests. Looking to the future, a scientific foundation is required to capitalize on opportunities for conservation and restoration, and it is this to which this book aims to contribute.Less
Asian tropical forests are among the most diverse on the planet, a richness that belies the fact that they are dominated by a single tropical tree family, the Dipterocarpaceae. Many other families contribute to Asia’s natural diversity, but few compare to the dipterocarps in the number and variety of species that occupy the forest canopy. Understanding the ecology and dynamics of Asian forests is, to a very great extent, a study of the Dipterocarpaceae. This book synthesizes current knowledge on the dipterocarps. The family is explored through ecological, evolutionary, and biogeographic perspectives. The variety of dipterocarp forest formations in both the ever-wet and seasonal tropics is described, with due consideration given to the poorly known African and South American dipterocarp species. The considerable progress on the phylogeny and biogeography of the family is synthesized. A chapter on dipterocarp reproductive ecology, and particularly masting behaviour, reflects the considerable research interest attributed to this subject and its importance in shaping the ecology of Asian lowland rain forests in particular. Ecophysiological responses to light, water, and nutrients, which underlie mechanisms that maintain dipterocarp species richness, are addressed in separate chapters. At broader scales, dipterocarp responses to variation in soil, topography, climate, and natural disturbance regimes are explored from population and community perspectives in two additional chapters. The book concludes with a consideration of the economic values of dipterocarps and the recent and ongoing threats to dipterocarp forests. Looking to the future, a scientific foundation is required to capitalize on opportunities for conservation and restoration, and it is this to which this book aims to contribute.
