Biogeog L1

Question 1

What are the ancestors of modern life forms on Earth and where were they found?

Answer 1

(Discovered in 1909)
Cambrian Explosion (505 million years ago) - preservation of soft parts of its fossils
Burguess Shale, Rocky Mountains

Question 2

What is considered the father of phytogeography and what did he discover?

Answer 2

Humboltd
Expanded latitudinal biodiversity gradients into elevation gradients
Plants distributed in elevation zones (Teide)

Question 3

What was Charles Darwin’s role in biogeography?

Answer 3

Long-distance dispersal in biogeographic distribution of specoes
5 year voyage to S.A.
Collected samples rocks, plants, animals, fossils
Origin of Species

Question 4

What did Alfred Wallace discover?

Answer 4

Father of zoogeography

Fossil records showing evidence for past migrations of different organisms between E and W Indonesia

Question 5

What was Alfred Wegener’s famous theory?

Answer 5

Plate tectonics and continental drift - not accepted until 1960

Question 6

What do plate tectonics show in terms of organism distribution?

Answer 6

Major cause of long term changes in patterns of distribution of organisms (break up of Lauraisa and Gondwana

Question 7

What are some examples of Gondwanian organisms that are distributed across different continents?

Answer 7

Southern temperate beetle
Nontropical freshwater fishes
Proteacea family (plants)
Aquatic frogs

Question 8

What theory did McArthur and Wilson come up with?

Answer 8

Island biogeography - they predicted the number of species that would exist on a newly created island