Biogeography

What is biogeography?

the study of where plants and animals live, why they live there, and how their populations have changed over time

How do islands become colonised by plants and animals?

Through a combination of wind, water, and animal transport

How did continental drift shape the global distribution of life?

Continental drift shapes the global distribution of life by physically separating and connecting land masses

What is an ecotone?

a transitional area or boundary zone where two different ecosystems meet

What is the biosphere?

the zone of life on Earth

What is an ecosystem?

a community of living things (plants, animals, and microbes) interacting with one another

What is endemism?

When a plant or animal is found naturally in only one place on the earth and nowhere else

What is convergent evolution?

The process where related or distantly related species independently evolve similar traits usually because they live in similar environments

What are invasive species?

non-native organisms that are introduced to a new environment often through human activity and cause harm

What is a disjunct distribution?

A pattern where closely related species or populations live far apart from each other, separated by large geographic distances.