Synopses & Reviews
The science of biogeography asks, and seeks to answer, many varied questions. Why are there so many different kinds of animals and plants? Why are some common and some rare? Why are some widely dispersed and others confined to very limited areas? Why are some habitats and parts of the world so much richer in species than others? How have these patterns of distribution and species richness evolved?
The answers to these questions, inas far as they are known, are as diverse and varied as the questions themselves. To approach them it is necessary to understand global patterns of climate, as well as the physical barriers to dispersal presented by oceans, mountain chains and deserts. We need to know how species respond to the presence of competitors, predators and parasites, and how they react when their physical environment alters as climate changes and as continents break up and are set adrift. Most important, we need to appreciate the impact of our own species upon all others, placing new demands upon the adaptability of the living world.
The questions asked by biogeography themselves evolve over time, and this new edition of a long-established text raises new questions concerned with such topics as global biodiversity, the roles of species in ecosystems, and the degree to which traditional biogeographical concepts can be applied to the extensive, but neglected, realms of the world's oceans. Marine biogeography is becoming an increasingly important and well-understood discipline, and is included here for the first time.
The book is intended as the principal text for students taking courses in biogeography, as well as wider degree programmes in which the study of biogeography is important, such as geography, ecology, palaeobiology and evolution.
A successful and established textbook.
2-colour text and colour plate section introduced for the first time.
Thoroughly revised and updated including new chapters on island and marine biogeography.
Contemporary layout with chapter summaries, further reading etc. to facilitate tuition.
Synopsis
The latest edition of this highly successful and popular textbook has been completely revised and updated to include the latest developments in biogeography. It offers excellent insight into the multi-disciplinary nature of biogeography, providing the student with a sound historical base, up-to-date factual content and a clear explanation of current controversies.
New chapter on molecular evidence for the interpretation of patterns of biogeography New section on the biogeography of parasitic diseases Strong use of references providing a platform for advanced students to follow further debate in the current literature Balanced treatment of continental biogeography, island biogeography and marine biogeography About the Author
Barry Coxwas formerly head of Biological Sciences at King’s College London. He was originally a vertebrate palaeontologist, but soon became also interested in the patterns of distribution of life in the past. He has published extensively on the relations between fossil distributions and plate tectonics, how and when the mammals dispersed across the planet, competing theories on how to interpret past patterns, and the basic patterns of life today at the worldwide level.
Peter Mooreis a Reader in Ecology at King’s College London. He first trained as a botanist/biochemist, later turning to palaeoecology and vegetation history and, ultimately, wider ecological issues including global environmental change. He retains a particular interest in wetlands.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to Biogeography.
2. A History of Biogeography.
3. Patterns of Biodiversity.
4. Patterns of Distribution.
5. Communities and Ecosystems.
6. The Source of Novelty.
7. Life, Death and Evolution on Islands.
8. Living in the Past.
9. The Geography of Life Today.
10. Ice and Change.
11. Transforming the Planet.
12. Drawing Lines in the Water.
13. Interpreting the Past I Molecular and Isotopic Biogeography.
14. Interpreting the Past II Principles and Practice.
15. Foretelling the Future.
Index