Biogeography and Global Provincialism in Mammalian Distributions - Lecture 4.3
Explore the global distribution of mammals and key biogeographic concepts in this comprehensive lecture. Delve into ecological biogeography, biogeographic regionalization, and the six major faunal regions: Palearctic, Neotropical, Ethiopian, Oriental, Australian, and Oceanic. Examine abiotic processes like plate tectonics, continental drift, and climate change, as well as biotic processes such as dispersal, with a focus on the Great American Biotic Interchange. Investigate ecogeographic patterns including the Island Rule, Bergmann's Rule, Allen's Rule, Gloger's Rule, and Rapoport's Rule. Conclude by studying the latitudinal gradient in mammalian distributions, gaining a thorough understanding of global provincialism in mammalian biogeography.