Course
Discontinued
No
Course Code
GEOG 2230
Descriptive
Biogeography
Department
Geography and the Environment
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
201620
PLAR
Yes
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
35
Contact Hours
Lecture 2 hrs. per week
Lab 2 hrs. per week
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Lab
Learning Activities
This course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:
- Lecture
- Labs
- Field Work
- Slides/Videos
- Individual and/or Team Projects
- Small Group Discussions
- Map and Air Photo Analysis
Course Description
Have you wondered how so many different living organisms developed? Are you curious about what factors limit their growth and spread or about what human activity is affecting biodiversity? Biogeography examines the geographic distribution of plants and animals and the causes of these patterns. It focuses on the physical and biological factors that control community distribution and development from both an historical perspective and an ecological one. In this course we examine a variety of climatic, tectonic, soil, biological and anthropogenic controls on patterns of life. Several of the laboratory assignments include field work in the local area.
Course Content
- Introduction
- Spatial concepts in Geography and Biogeography
- The Science of Biogeography
- Taxonomic, ecological and trophic hierarchies
- Organization of Life
- Populations, communities, ecosystems and biomes
- Vegetation structure and formations
- Realms, regions and provinces
- The Physical Environment and the Distribution of Life
- Patterns and influences of solar radiation, temperature, moisture and soil
- Interacting physical controls on geographic distributions
- Biological Interactions and the Distribution of Life
- Predation competition, symbiosis
- Combined physical and biological controls on geographic distribution
- Environmental gradients and Ssecies’ niches
- Temporal/Historical Influences on the Distribution of Life
- Plate tectonics and continental drift
- Past and future climate change
- Dispersal, colonization and invasion
- Evolution, speciation and extinction
- Description and Interpretation of Biogeographic Distributions
- Geographic range
- Mapping biogeographic distributions
- Endemism, provincialism and disjunction
- Models of Historical Biogeography
- Reconstructing biogeographic histories
- Contemporary Patterns and Processes
- Island Biogeography Theory and applications
- Disturbance
- Human impacts on the distribution of life
- Biogeography and conservation planning
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of the course the student will be able to:
- Describe and use the frameworks of science applicable to 2nd-year physical geography.
- Think critically and examine biogeographical concepts at population, community, ecosystem and biome levels.
- Describe and explain the major biotic and abiotic influences on organism growth and distribution that occur within earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere systems, and identify and describe interactions among these systems.
- Communicate effectively using the language, graphical presentation methods and quantitative methods employed in physical geography.
- Connect theoretical applications to “real-world” observations and measurements.
Means of Assessment
The evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria during the first week of classes.
An example of an evaluation scheme would be:
| Labs | 30% |
| Field Trip Report | 10% |
| Project | 20% |
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
Textbook Materials
Texts will be updated periodically. A typical example of a text would be:
- MacDonald, Glen. (2003). Biogeography: Introduction to Space, Time and Life. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York.