Module Overview -- Life Zones and Altitudinal Zonation
General Module Objectives: after completing this module, students will
- be familiar the life zone concept.
- understand the environmental differences between high latitude and high elevation sites.
- be able to draw comparisons between temperate (North American) life zones and those of tropical mountains in terms of both vegetation structure and species composition.
- appreciate the role of topographic diversity in promoting floral and faunal diversity.
- understand the role of isolation in promoting high rates of endemism.
- be able to predict "hot spots" of biodiversity at a global scale
Key Biogeographical Concepts addressed by the Module:
- Relationships between environmental gradients and species distribution patterns
- The role of geographic isolation in speciation and endemism
- Differences between ecological scale and biogeographic scale
Material Requirements:
Activities:
Time Requirements:
Difficulty:
Beginning of Life Zone Module
Created July 13, 1997 by Susan L. Woodward. Last updated July 13, 1997 by slw.
The URL for this page is http:www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/lifezone/lfctspub.html