Endemic family

Lomolino et al., 2006 Biogeography 1 Prof. J. Hicke Endemic species

Lomolino et al., 2006

Biogeography 2 Prof. J. Hicke Cosmopolitan family

Lomolino et al., 2006

Biogeography 3 Prof. J. Hicke Cosmopolitan species

www.peregrinefund.org/explore_raptors/

Biogeography 4 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic boundaries

Biogeography 5 Prof. J. Hicke What’s an angiosperm? Plants

gymnosperms

angiosperms

en.wikipedia.org/wiki

Biogeography 6 Prof. J. Hicke Rise of Angiosperms

Biogeography 7 Prof. J. Hicke Distribution of pines and southern beeches

Long dispersal distances, ocean barriers prevented cold-adapted angiosperms to colonize Northern Hemisphere high latitudes

100 pine species, only several southern beech species (unusual)

Biogeography 8 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic realms

Biogeography 9 Prof. J. Hicke Nearctic/Palearctic Regions

•
Two regions have similar mammals, angiosperms •
similar environmental conditions •
physical connections leading to substantial exchange

•
Mammal fauna smaller than that of tropics •
13 families of terrestrial mammals in Nearctic •
18 in Palearctic

•
Dominated by placentals (none in Palearctic, one in Nearctic)

•
More species during Pleistocene than today

•
Cooling and glaciation in Pleistocene produced cold-adapted mammals; cycles caused extinctions

Biogeography 10 Prof. J. Hicke Neotropical Region

•
Mammals: 23 families •
many families shared with Nearctic (e.g., foxes, rabbits, mountain lions) •
New World monkeys •
3 families, 84 species of marsupials

•
Angiosperms: most diverse region (137 families, 50 endemic) •
shared families with other regions

•
High biodiversity: •
environmental variety: tundra, temperate and tropical forests, desert •
geologic history: early connections with Africa, Antarctica; exchange with Nearctic

Biogeography 11 Prof. J. Hicke Ethiopian Region

•
Has most diverse mammal fauna: 30 families •
charismatic megafauna •
some families shared with Palearctic, Oriental •
later collision with Eurasia •
few/none shared with Neotropical, Australasian •
early separation from S. America, Australia, Antarctica

•
Angiosperms: diverse region (117 families) •
shared families with Neotropical, Australasian •
continents still together during rise of angiosperms

Biogeography 12 Prof. J. Hicke Oriental Region

•
Small in area

•
Has diverse mammal fauna: 20 families •
families shared with Palearctic, Ethiopian •
none shared with Australasian •
no marsupials, placentals before collision with Eurasia

•
Angiosperms: diverse region (120 families) •
shared families with Neotropical, Australasian

Biogeography 13 Prof. J. Hicke Australasian Region

•
Small in area, but most distinct

•
Mammals: 10 families; high degree of endemism •
dominated by marsupials

•
Angiosperms: 90 families (lowest) •
only 18 are endemic; Eucalyptus an example (95% of tree biomass) •
shared families with Neotropical, Oriental, Ethiopian

Biogeography 14 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions “Biodiversity ignores national and other political boundaries, so a more relevant conservation planning unit is required - WWF addresses this need with ecoregions.” (www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions)

Ability to focus conservation efforts strategically is hindered by a global map of biodiversity with sufficient biogeographic resolution to reflect the complex distribution of natural communities (Olson et al., 2001)

Biogeography 15 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions

Ricketts et al., 1999 Biogeography 16 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions

Biogeography Olson et al., 2001 17 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions

Olson et al., 2001 Biogeography 18 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions

Olson et al., 2001 Biogeography 19 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions

Olson et al., 2001 Biogeography 20 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions WWF Global 200

“…a first attempt to identify a set of ecoregions whose conservation would achieve the goal of saving a broad diversity of the Earth's ecosystems. These ecoregions include those with exceptional levels of biodiversity, such as high species richness or endemism, or those with unusual ecological or evolutionary phenomena.”

www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/g200.cfm

Biogeography 21 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions

WWF Global 200 vision:

Identify and map priority areas critical to maintaining biodiversity

The vision should fulfill these basic tenets of conservation biology:

•
Representation of all distinct natural communities within conservation landscapes and protected areas networks

•
Maintenance of ecological and evolutionary processes that create and sustain biodiversity;

•
Maintenance of viable populations of all native species; and

•
Conservation of blocks of natural habitat large enough to be resilient to large-scale stochastic and deterministic disturbances and long-term changes.

www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/visions.cfm

Biogeography 22 Prof. J. Hicke Biogeographic Mapping and Conservation Planning: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions

www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/g200.cfm Biogeography 23 Prof. J. Hicke