GEOG20009 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Megadiverse Countries, Geomorphology, Ecosystem Diversity
15 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION
• Biogeography: the study of the distribution of biodiversity over space + time, aims to
reveal where organisms live, at what abundance and why
• Lichen + fungi: useful in dating, and testing hypothesises
Biodiversity Basics
• Biodiversity: the variety + variability of life on Earth
o Genetic diversity, species diversity + ecosystem diversity
o Most commonly referred to on species level, and on a global scale
• Global biodiversity
o Only a fraction of the known 2 million species have known distribution +
range of characteristics
o More recent estimates: 5-15 million
• Australia is a megadiverse country (1 of the 17)
• Studying diversity:
o Taxonomy, species richness, endemism
o Ecology
o Evolution (phylogenetics)
o Biogeography (past + present spatial patterns)
▪ This subject: approaches biodiversity from the perspective of the landscape
• Modern geomorphic processes + climate, as well as earth + climate history
• Concepts
o Ecological Biogeography: Modern ecological theories examine the proximate drivers of diversity in time
+ space (from larger spatial scales to smaller spatial scales)
o Processes: dispersal, speciation, extinction
o Controls: climate, regional controls + interactions, global + long-term controls (climate, geological
history, hydrology, geomorphology)
o Evolution + Dynamics
o Global Approaches (and humans)
Ecological Biogeography
Historical Biogeography
• Short timescales, functional groups (communities),
environmental constraints (niches)
• Biotic assemblages vary according to climate +
environment
• Long timescale, taxonomic groups (clades),
biogeographic events
• How do patterns in geographic distributions
arise?
Subject Focus
1. Relationship between
biodiversity + the physical
landscape
- Geomorphology + climate
2. Large-patterns in key
landscape types across the
globe
Ecological Biogeography
Document Summary
Lecture 1: introduction: biogeography: the study of the distribution of biodiversity over space + time, aims to. Subject focus reveal where organisms live, at what abundance and why. Lichen + fungi: useful in dating, and testing hypothesises. Geomorphology + climate: large-patterns in key landscape types across the globe range of characteristics, more recent estimates: 5-15 million, australia is a megadiverse country (1 of the 17) Studying diversity: taxonomy, species richness, endemism, ecology, evolution (phylogenetics, biogeography (past + present spatial patterns) This subject: approaches biodiversity from the perspective of the landscape: modern geomorphic processes + climate, as well as earth + climate history. Concepts: ecological biogeography: modern ecological theories examine the proximate drivers of diversity in time. + space (from larger spatial scales to smaller spatial scales: processes: dispersal, speciation, extinction, controls: climate, regional controls + interactions, global + long-term controls (climate, geological history, hydrology, geomorphology, evolution + dynamics, global approaches (and humans) Short timescales, functional groups (communities), environmental constraints (niches)
