lecture_02 - Distribution of Species and Communities...


View Full Document Right Arrow Icon
1 Distribution of Species and Communities Distribution of species and communities Why are particular species present in some places and absent in others? If a species occupies a particular area, it either evolved there or evolved elsewhere and dispersed to that area If a species is not found in a particular area, either it evolved elsewhere and never dispersed there or it was once present but no longer is there Large Scale Patterns Biogeographic regions: Boundaries are set where species composition changes dramatically over short distances Based on the taxonomic similarities of the organisms living there Large Scale Patterns Climate: Climate is the average atmospheric conditions found over time (Temperature, Precipitation, Wind Velocity) Climate varies because of differences in the amount of solar energy (Drives global atmospheric and oceanic circulation)
Background image of page 1


View Full DocumentRight Arrow Icon
2 Large Scale Patterns Biomes: Climate determine the distribution of biomes Terrestrial biomes are based on the structure of their dominant vegetation, Aquatic biomes on their Physical / Chemical differences In each biome vegetation has similar traits, but may not be evolutionary closely related Large Scale vs. Small Scale Patterns and Processes: Large scale patterns can be predicted from climate conditions (Temperature, Precipitation, Wind) Large scale patterns do not predict small scale distribution or what species will occur
Background image of page 2
Image of page 3

Page1 / 4

lecture_02 - Distribution of Species and Communities...


View Full Document Right Arrow Icon
Ask a homework question - tutors are online