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This concept emerged with the realization that earth’s resources are depletable. Coupled with this was increasing awareness of how delicately balanced are the equilibriums which control the earth systems. After looking at the various fields in historic and ecological biogeography, conservation biogeography developed. This is the protection and/or restoration of nature and its flora and fauna.
In summing up, biogeography is important as a branch of geography that sheds light on the natural habitats around the world. It is also essential in understanding why species are in their present locations and in developing protecting the world's natural habitats.
We can therefore conclude by observing that:
- Each species occupies a limited area whose size varies with;
- Species physiology (i.e. adaptation mechanism)
- The time it has lived and the opportunities to expand its population
- Ability to migrate and occupy open space
- Distribution of food resources etc
The distribution of living organisms is characterized by lack of uniformity. However, there no organism that is haphazardly distributed on the earth surface. Instead, each species exhibits variations in distribution both in space and time. In spatial terms, for instance, there are few species per unit area in the cold and hot deserts of the world while jungles of equatorial forests have a multitude of species. In temporal terms, ruderals or ephemerals are many during the rainy season. They disappear and exist as disseminules during the dry season. Also, the population of migratory species (e.g. the wildebeest of the Mara) in a given ecosystem varies with time and space.
Because of limitations associated with species physiology and environmental parameters, each species occupies its own habitat. This is the place where it is most successful to function.
There are very few species that are widely distributed on the earth's surface - i.e. which occur everywhere or most of the continents. They include Homo sapiens, housefly and bracken fern. Such species are called cosmopolitan species.
There are other species whose distribution is confined to island habitats. They can be described as:
- Endemic - thus, exist in remote islands and or have poor dispersal mechanism
- Relict-display disjunct distribution which was once widespread but has been narrowed due to competitive reasons
Endangered - species whose distribution is being reduced to limited sites.
francis1897 answered the question on February 27, 2023 at 07:45