Biogeography Exam 1 UPDATED Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
biogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a branch of biology that studies spatial patterns of
biodiversity
-non-experimental due to the fact that it deals with space and time (cannot be manipulated)
Why is biogeography studied? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. species are not distributed
equally (highly non-random and predictable)
2. living things are very diverse (5-100 million species, lots of unnamed)
3. need to understand the impact of humans (humans have impacts on a global scale i.e., loss of
biodiversity, extinctions)
How does biological diversity vary over Earth? - CORRECT ANSWER - as you move
away from the equator there is less diversity
phytogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that deals with the
geographical distribution of plants
zoogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that deals with the
geographical distribution of animals
microbial biogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that deals
with the geographical distribution of microorganisms
-poorly understood
historical biogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that deals
with the reconstructed origin, dispersal, and extinction of taxa
, ecological biogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that
accounts for present distributions and geographic variation in diversity in terms of interactions
between plants and animals
endemic - CORRECT ANSWER - species only occurs in one location and no where else
Pattern vs. Process - CORRECT ANSWER - starts with patterns -> mechanistic
explanations -> theories
-not all science is done w/ the scientific method
- theories developed by inductive methods are tested by deductive methods
Life of American Eel - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Born in a river
2. spend adult life in the Carribbean
3. Come back to where they were born to spawn
-construction has shut down spawning areas
History of biogeography (essay) part 1: - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Exploration began by
Europeans in 17th century to find Noah's ark (believed to be the origin of where all species once
were, species must of fanned out from here)
2. 1700s- Linneaus believed Mt. Arat to be the "origin", but physical/environmental barriers of
the mt. prevented dispersal
3. 1749- Comte de Buffon wrote "Histore Natural", believes species originated at the North Pole
when it was warm, species migrated as climate changed, adapting and "evolving" so that each
area had distinct species
4. 1750-1800s- catalogues on flora and fauna, many new species described
History of biogeography (essay) part 2: - CORRECT ANSWER - 5. Johan Reinhold
Forster- (1772-1775) 3 year voyage around the world with Captain Cook, and observed natural
biotic regions and how floras replaced one another, observed species on island vs. mainland
found more diversity towards the equator
Questions and CORRECT Answers
biogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a branch of biology that studies spatial patterns of
biodiversity
-non-experimental due to the fact that it deals with space and time (cannot be manipulated)
Why is biogeography studied? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. species are not distributed
equally (highly non-random and predictable)
2. living things are very diverse (5-100 million species, lots of unnamed)
3. need to understand the impact of humans (humans have impacts on a global scale i.e., loss of
biodiversity, extinctions)
How does biological diversity vary over Earth? - CORRECT ANSWER - as you move
away from the equator there is less diversity
phytogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that deals with the
geographical distribution of plants
zoogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that deals with the
geographical distribution of animals
microbial biogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that deals
with the geographical distribution of microorganisms
-poorly understood
historical biogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that deals
with the reconstructed origin, dispersal, and extinction of taxa
, ecological biogeography - CORRECT ANSWER - a subfield of biogeography that
accounts for present distributions and geographic variation in diversity in terms of interactions
between plants and animals
endemic - CORRECT ANSWER - species only occurs in one location and no where else
Pattern vs. Process - CORRECT ANSWER - starts with patterns -> mechanistic
explanations -> theories
-not all science is done w/ the scientific method
- theories developed by inductive methods are tested by deductive methods
Life of American Eel - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Born in a river
2. spend adult life in the Carribbean
3. Come back to where they were born to spawn
-construction has shut down spawning areas
History of biogeography (essay) part 1: - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Exploration began by
Europeans in 17th century to find Noah's ark (believed to be the origin of where all species once
were, species must of fanned out from here)
2. 1700s- Linneaus believed Mt. Arat to be the "origin", but physical/environmental barriers of
the mt. prevented dispersal
3. 1749- Comte de Buffon wrote "Histore Natural", believes species originated at the North Pole
when it was warm, species migrated as climate changed, adapting and "evolving" so that each
area had distinct species
4. 1750-1800s- catalogues on flora and fauna, many new species described
History of biogeography (essay) part 2: - CORRECT ANSWER - 5. Johan Reinhold
Forster- (1772-1775) 3 year voyage around the world with Captain Cook, and observed natural
biotic regions and how floras replaced one another, observed species on island vs. mainland
found more diversity towards the equator
