GEOGRAPHY 316: BIOGEOGRAPHY
B. Holzman, PhD
12/09/02

Geography 316:  Biogeography                                       Fall  2002

Final Exam Review
Review the following terms and concepts for the exam.    Concentrate on lecture notes, reserved readings and  rely on the text where needed (use the text for clarification or further detail).

Physical Geography Terms and Concepts:
Earth as a Sphere
    what is the earth size/ shape
    what are  latitude/longitude
 perihelion/aphelion
solstice and equinoxes
Declination of the sun (know how to calculate it given a location and date)
where are the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

Rotation and Revolution and their effects on the planet's biosphere

Declination of the sun (know how to calculate it given a location and date)

Biodiversity :
Biodiversity (define)

Taxonomic Classes (Kingdom. Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species)

Morphological and Biological species concept

Define Succession (primary and secondary)
            what types of plants would you expect at the various stages of succession

 Biomes and Ecosystems:
Biomes what are they
            know the characteristics of each i.e. location, climate, soil, flora and fauna, as well as human impacts

Aquatic Biomes
Know how they are divided/Salt and fresh and how those are further classified

 Ecosystems
Ecotone (define)

Community (define)

Limiting factors (abiotic and biotic) define with examples

Trophic levels and food webs

Photosynthesis
Types of photosynthesis (where do they occur how are they different)
C3, C4 and CAM

Patterns of Distribution:
Niche (define)

Barriers to distribution what are they and how are they overcome

Endemism (neoendemics and paleoendemics)

Dispersal routes (Corridor, Filter, Sweepstakes)

Continuous distribution/Cosmopolitan distribution/Disjunct distribution

Eurytopic and Stenotopic Taxon

 Climates
 Definition
  Global processes
           high pressure / low pressure systems  that dominant the planet
Global wind patterns
Ocean currents (cold water currents)
Precipitation Types
Climatic classification
            General/ Climographs (be able recognize specific Koeppen climate classifications based on climographs - do you know what California's climograph looks like?)

 Evolution:
What is the Theory of Natural Selection

What is Adaptive radiation

Conditions needed for evolution: 
            isolation, appearance of a novel feature (mutation)

Examples and definition of Coevolution, Convergent evolution,Divergent Evolution

 Historical Biogeography
Definition
Systematics
Fossils
     problems with fossil record
     why fossils are important
Phylogeny
     definition
     assumption
Phenetics
Phylogenetic Classification
Evolutionary Systematics
        vs. Phylogenetic Systematics
Cladistics

Island Biogeography:
How do species get to islands?

Island Biogeography Theory
            variables in the theory:  area, distance,  LN > SN > LF > SF,

Problems with the Island Biogeography Theory

How can we apply the theory to nature reserves

Plate tectonics/C. Drift:
Geologic time scale

Laurasia, Pangaea, Gondwana(land)

Process of plate movement: spreading, subduction, uplift

Time frame of major plate movements, their relation to the organisms present at the time

Climate Change:
Evidence of climate change
    Direct and proxy evidence (what's the difference)

History (last 20,000 years or so)

Hypothesized mechanisms behind climate change

Extinction:
theories as to why Pleistocene megafauna went extinct

Characteristics of megafauna

Overkill (arguments for and against)

Blitzkrieg Effect, Innovation effect, Attrition Effect

Climate caused changes

monogastrics/ruminants /stripes vs. plaids
            loss of equitable climate and vegetational changes that occurred during the late         Pleistocene

 Human impacts on extinction:
r vs K selected

characteristics of endangered species

Zoogeographic regions:
          define and know something about each of them, as far as distinctive fauna and flora

            what plants, animal and crops are associated with each region

            What are where is Wallace's line

 Human occupation of the Planet:
Effects of agriculture

Cultivated plants
Old world vs new world crops

Some specifics; these are guaranteed to be on the exam in some form or another:

You will be asked to choose a continent: Africa, South America or North America and to draw in the biomes. (Practice from your handout on biomes).  You will also be asked to know some specifics about that particular continent re: climatic wind patterns, and animals.

There will be a question on the field trips (you'll be able to choose Pt. Reyes or Mt. Diablo)  Look at your exercise.

You will be asked to argue one side of the megafauna extinction debate:  include the theory, evidence and reasoning behind it.    (you can choose Overkill, Climate change; vegetation & gestation, or a combination of both.)  I suggest you outline this question now, so you can whip through it on the exam.