COURSE DESCRIPTION

GEOG 335. Biogeography
Spring 2005

This course introduces students to the distribution patterns of wild plants and animals and to the factors that determine these patterns. By the end of the course, you should be able to understand and use ecological and biogeographical terminology; be able to map the distribution and describe the nature of earth's major terrestrial biomes; be able to ask biogeographical questions; and be able to formulate sound hypotheses to explain the variety and ever-changing geographic ranges of living organisms.

Biogeography is an integrative field of inquiry that unites concepts and information from ecology, evolutionary biology, geology, and physical geography and uses the perspectives and methodologies of geography. In this course, therefore, you will be exposed to theories and data from several disciplines.

TEXTS: The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction, by David Quammen. Simon &     Schuster, 1996. [Required]
                How the Earthquake Bird Got Its Name, by H. H. Shugart. Yale University Press, 2004.
               Biogeography: Introduction to Space, Time and Life, by Glen M. MacDonald, John Wiley @ Sons, 2003. [Recommended]

COURSE CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION TO BIOGEOGRAPHY
1. Role of biogeography in environmental studies
2. A basic model of biogeographic processes
3. The Taxonomic Hierarchy
4. History of the discipline: basic patterns revealed (zoogeographic provinces, floral kingdoms, altitudinal zonation, ecogeographic trends and rules)
2. IMPORTANT BIOGEOGRAPHIC PROCESSES
1. Evolution and Adaptation
2. Speciation
3. Extinction
4. Dispersal and Colonization
3. DISTRIBUTION AREAS/PATTERNS
1. Endemics
2. Relicts
3. Distribution Patterns: pantropical, gondwanan, boreal, etc.
4. Disjunct patterns
5. Patterns of rarity
6. Patterns of biodiversity
4. THE TERRESTRIAL BIOMES
   (Regional climate, vegetation structure, ecological succession, species richness, geographic affinities, soils; faunal adaptations; mapping at a global scale.)
1. Tundra
2. Boreal Forest or Taiga
3. Temperate Broadleaf Deciduous Forest
4. Tropical Broadleaf Evergreen Forest
5. Tropical Savanna
6. Desertscrub
7. Midlatitude Grasslands
8. Mediterranean Scrub
9. Altitudinal Zonation: mid-latitude versus tropical

COMPONENTS OF GRADE:

Final letter grade in course will be determined according to the percentage of total points awarded: 90-100 percent = A; 80 to 89 percent = B; and so forth. A final average below 60 percent indicates failure of the course. No individual extra credit will be given.

ASSIGNMENTS

• Responses to questions on Song of the Dodo
• Zoogeographic Provinces
• Taxonomy exercise
• Speciation exercise
• Local flora and fauna: TBA

Examinations:

All exams will be a combination of objective and essay in questions. Questions will be framed around either describing certain distribution patterns or explaining various patterns or processes. Each exam will include a mapping and/or diagramming section.

EXAM DATES:

• Midterm #1: Thursday, February 10
• Midterm #2: Tuesday, March 29
• FINAL EXAM: 8:00 am; Monday, May 2

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Attendance is expected at every class meeting. There is a considerable amount of information presented in lecture that is not covered directly in the texts.

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY:

Assignments will be collected at the beginning of the class period on the day due. No assignment will be accepted late without prior consent of the instructor or a note from doctor, dean, or other appropriate authority.

HONOR CODE:

By accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated in this class. Refer to your Student Handbook for details.

Posted 01/06/03, revised 02/08/05.