Biogeography

Catalog description

This course will provide an overview of the field of biogeography - the study of the geography of living organisms. Traditionally viewed as the study of geographic distributions, modern biogeography explores a great diversity of patterns in the geographic variation of nature — from morphological and genetic variation among individuals and populations to differences in the diversity and composition of biotas along geographic gradients. Ultimately, our ability to predict how species, communities and ecosystems will respond to climate change and to develop strategies for conservation are dependent upon insights from the field of biogeography. Class meetings will be split between lectures and discussions. Discussions will be informed by a set of weekly readings from the primary literature. Each student will conduct an original research project (term paper) on some topic in biogeography. Prerequisites: BIOL 0420 and 0480 .