Biogeography: Understanding the Distributions of Plants and Animals, Study notes of Geography

Download Biogeography: Understanding the Distributions of Plants and Animals and more Study notes Geography in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Dr. Christopher Still, Instructor Sara Baguskas, Teaching Assistant Biogeography: The Study of Plant and Animal Distributions Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory Course composition how many Geography majors? EEMB? Env. Studies? how many of you have taken Geog 3A or 3B? Any classes with me before? how about basic courses in ecology or plant physiology? geology? Biogeography: The Study of Plant and Animal Distributions (Geography/Environmental Studies 167) UCSB Winter Quarter, 2009 Dr. Christopher Stil Course webpage ‘Sara Baguskas Instructor http://www geog.ucsb.edu/~cstill/ GEOG167 Teaching assistant 6837 Ellison Hall Office location 6722 Ellison Hall 893-5501 Phone 893-4310 estill@ geog ucsb.edu Email baguskas@geog.uesb.edu M 45pm, W 1-2pm, Office hours M 1-3pm and by appointment and by appointment Course meeting times: TR 12:30-1:45pm Ellison 2606 3624 Discussion sections: T 4-4:50pm; W 11-11:50am Ellison”2620 Course text: Biogeography: Space, Time and Life by Glen M. MacDonald (2003) ISBN: 0-471- 24193-8 (on reserve at the Davidson library) ‘Other optional books (also on reserve at the library): Song of the Dodo by David Quammen; Biogeography: An Ecological and Evolutionary Approach by C. Bamy Cox and Peter D. Moore; Biogeography by James H. Brown and Mark Lomolino; Why Big Fierce Animals Are Rare by Paul Colinvaux i i i i Course Syllabus? ‘Assigned reading January 6,8 Introduction and overview of global biodiversity and productivity Chapters 1-2 patterns; taxonomic, trophic, and ecological levels of organization January 13,15 Physical controls/interactions and the distribution of life; Chapter 3 January 20,22 Physical controls/interactions and the distribution of life (cont.), Chapters 3-4 Biological controls/interactions and the distribution of life; Jan. 27,29 Biological interactions and the distribution of life; Disturbance Chapters 4-5 February 3,5 Disturbance (dendrochronology); midterm exam I (Feb. 5) Chapter 5 Feb. 10,12 Communities and biomes; Term paper topic and abstract due Chapter 6 February 12 Feb.17,19 Geological time and continental drift; Quaternary climate change; Chapter 7 Overnight field trip to Big Sur coast (February 20-21) Feb. 24,26 Quaternary climate change (cont.); Dispersal, colonization, and Chapters 7,8 invasion; Term paper annotated bibliography due February 26; March 2,4 Dispersal, colonization, and invasion (cont); midterm exam 2 Chapter 8 (March 4) March 9,11 Biogeography and human evolution Chapter 11 March 17 Term paper due: Tuesday, March 17 by 12 pm Lecture days Topic # Note: please check the web page frequently as the syllabus will change slightly throughout the quarter. I will announce major changes to the syllabus in class. 5 Why study biogeography? there are many reasons, but here are a few... To gain a greater appreciation for life on earth To understand why the patterns of animals and plants are what they are To appreciate how humans interact with the systems of life and how we are changing them Some biogeographical questions Why do coniferous trees increase in abundance (and broadleaf trees decrease) as one moves from equator to pole? Why are there more hummingbird species in the western Us, even though overall bird diversity is higher in the eastern US? Why are islands so weird (ex., the Scrub jay is larger on Santa Cruz Island than in Santa Barbara, but the Santa Cruz Island fox is smaller than its mainland counterpart)? Why are there latitudinal gradients in biodiversity (the Amazon basin alone has 90,000 species of flowering plants)? Why does California have higher plant diversity than any comparably sized region in temperate North America? 6 Units: gC/m2/year Global Net Primary Productivity (NPP) What is this spatial pattern describing? What is this spatial pattern describing? 7 What is this spatial pattern describing? Im a g e c re d it : D . P re st is s, U C S B , M T P E What is this spatial pattern describing? 10 What is a species? biological species concept “a group of organisms that can interbreed freely under natural conditions” evolutionary species concept “organisms that have a direct ancestor-descendant relationship that is traceable in the fossil record” phylogenetic species concept “a group of sexually reproducing organisms that share at least one diagnostic character present in all members of the species” (MacDonald p. 12) - but what about asexually reproducing organisms?? - but what about species that don t leave a trace in the fossil record? 11 The problem with common names population other populations (different organisms) other populations (different organisms) Community Ecological Levels of Organization individual organism individual organism energy flow material flow ecosystem single species metapopulationmetapopulation 12 population other populations (different organisms) other populations (different organisms) Community Ecological Levels of Organization individual organism individual organism energy flow material flow ecosystem single species metapopulationmetapopulation Trophic Hierarchies Primary Producers (Autotrophs) typically 4-5 levels in a given trophic “pyramid” Secondary Consumers (Carnivores) Tertiary Consumers (Carnivores) H et er o tr o p h s eat herbivores eat other carnivores Primary Consumers (Herbivores) humans humans humans eat plants 15 Acronym soup Gross primary productivity (GPP) - photosynthesis CO2 from plant respiration Net primary productivity (NPP) NPP ~ 1/2 GPP HR ~ NPP Heterotrophic respiration (HR) CO2 from heterotrophs feeding off of NPP GPP - gross plant uptake of CO2 NPP - net plant uptake after plant respiration 16 Troughton and Donaldson 1972 6CO 2 + 12H 2 O C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6H 2 O + 6O 2 light CO2 H2O - transpiration O2 stomata-pores on leafs used in gas exchange From World Book © 2002 World Book, Inc., 233 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60601. All rights reserved. World Book illustration by James Teason 6CO 2 + 12H 2 O C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6H 2 O + 6O 2 energy released photosynthesis respiration • For Thursday’s class (and what we covered today), read chapter 2, which includes a climatology/physical geography overview •Any questions on today’s lecture (it will be posted on course website later today)?