The student must be able to interpret the distributional processes of living organisms at global and local scale, according to both ecollgical and historical (palaeogeographic-palaeoecological) view. Processes must be explained by dispersal/vicariance hypotheses, according to the most recent techniques.
teacher profile teaching materials
1. Introduction to Biogeography and History of Biogeography
- Definition, objectives, and scope of biogeography.
- Biogeography as an interdisciplinary field: relationships with ecology, evolution, systematics, geology, and climatology.
- Main biogeographical approaches: ecological, historical, and evolutionary biogeography.
- Historical development of the discipline and major contributions to biogeographical thought: Linnaeus, Buffon, Humboldt, Wallace, Darwin, Wegener, and Croizat.
- From descriptive biogeography to quantitative and molecular biogeography.
2. Geographical Distribution of Species: The Concept of Geographic Range
- Definition of geographic range and main characteristics of species distributions.
- Types of geographic ranges: continuous and discontinuous, disjunct and fragmented, and cosmopolitan.
- Wide and restricted ranges; endemic species and the concept of endemism.
- Palaeoendemism and neoendemism.
- Primary and secondary ranges.
- Methods for representing geographic ranges: distribution maps, occurrence maps, polygons, and geographic grids.
- Main indices used to describe geographic ranges: Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO).
3. Processes Determining Species Distributions: Geographical Dynamics
- Dispersal: modes, mechanisms, and dispersal barriers.
- Vicariance: range fragmentation and geographical isolation of populations.
- Comparison of dispersal and vicariance: interpreting disjunct distribution patterns.
- Range expansion, contraction, and fragmentation.
- Speciation and extinction as processes that shape species distributions and geographical diversity.
- Modes of speciation: allopatric, sympatric, and parapatric.
- Local and global extinctions, mass extinctions, and their biogeographical consequences.
4. Ecological Factors Determining and Limiting Geographic Ranges
- Population dynamics and fundamental and realised ecological niches.
- Abiotic factors: temperature, precipitation, humidity, light, soil characteristics, and resource availability.
- Biotic factors: competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, and interactions with other species.
- Limiting factors and ecological barriers to distribution.
5. Communities, Biomes, and Ecosystems: Distribution at the Ecological Scale
- Geographical distribution of communities and the organisation of biotic communities.
- Concepts of biome, ecosystem, and biogeographical region.
- Main terrestrial and aquatic biomes and the factors determining their distribution.
6. Historical Factors: Earth's History and Climate Change
- Origin and evolution of life on Earth: major stages in biological and geological history.
- Continental drift, plate tectonics, and the formation of geographical barriers.
- Geological and climatic events and their influence on organismal distributions.
- Major mass extinction events and subsequent phases of diversification.
- Quaternary glaciations and their consequences for biodiversity distribution.
- Glacial refugia, post-glacial range expansions, and recolonisation dynamics.
7. Biogeography of the Mediterranean Region and Italy
- Biogeographical characteristics of the Mediterranean Basin.
- Geological and palaeogeographical evolution of the Mediterranean: the Messinian Salinity Crisis and the formation and fragmentation of landmasses.
- Origin and diversification of Mediterranean flora and fauna.
- The role of Quaternary glaciations and Mediterranean refugia.
- Biogeography of the Italian Peninsula: the role of geological history, climatic gradients, and topographical complexity.
- Biogeography of Mediterranean islands and major areas of endemism.
- Endemism, biogeographical relicts, and speciation processes.
8. Island Biogeography
- Origin and characteristics of oceanic and continental islands.
- Colonisation, dispersal, and isolation of island populations.
- MacArthur and Wilson's theory of island biogeography.
- Relationship between island area, isolation, and species richness.
- Immigration and extinction rates and equilibrium dynamics.
- Adaptive radiation, island gigantism, and dwarfism.
- Island endemism and species vulnerability.
9. The World's Biogeographical Regions
- Definition and criteria for delimiting biogeographical regions.
- Historical origins and evolutionary significance of the main regions.
- Nearctic Region.
- Palearctic Region.
- Oriental Region.
- Afrotropical Region.
- Malagasy Region.
- Neotropical Region.
- Australian and Oceanian Regions.
- Main faunal and floral characteristics and associated elements of endemism.
- Historical and biogeographical relationships among regions: connections, separations, and faunal exchanges.
10. Reconstructing the Geographical History of Lineages: Molecular and Evolutionary Approaches
- Principles of molecular phylogenetics and reconstruction of evolutionary relationships.
- Molecular markers and their applications in biogeographical studies.
- Phylogeography: definition, objectives, and main methodological approaches.
- Identification of evolutionary lineages and isolated populations.
- Genetic divergence, geographical isolation, and speciation processes.
- Methods for reconstructing demographic and biogeographical history.
- Overview of the main approaches in historical and molecular biogeography: dispersal–vicariance, ancestral area reconstruction, and geographical diffusion models.
- Case studies and applications to animal and plant groups.
11. Conservation Biogeography
- Principles and objectives of conservation biogeography.
- Geographical distribution of biodiversity and identification of areas of high conservation value.
- Biodiversity hotspots, areas of endemism, and centres of diversity.
- Rare, endemic, and threatened species: distribution, vulnerability, and extinction risk.
- Habitat fragmentation, population isolation, and ecological connectivity.
- Climate change and prediction of future shifts in geographic ranges.
- Identification of priority areas for conservation.
- Application of biogeographical tools to the planning and management of protected areas.
Also useful: Zunino M. & Zullini A., Biogeografia. La dimensione spaziale dell’evoluzione. Ambrosiana, Milano.
The teacher will supply students with specialist literature and additional material.
Mutuazione: 20401656 BIOGEOGRAFIA in Biodiversità e Tutela dell'Ambiente LM-6 R N0 RICCIERI ALESSANDRA
Programme
The course provides the theoretical and methodological knowledge required to understand the processes that determine the geographical distribution of organisms, interpret their origins and changes over time, and apply biogeographical principles to the study and conservation of biodiversity. Particular emphasis will be placed on integrating ecological, evolutionary, historical, and molecular approaches.1. Introduction to Biogeography and History of Biogeography
- Definition, objectives, and scope of biogeography.
- Biogeography as an interdisciplinary field: relationships with ecology, evolution, systematics, geology, and climatology.
- Main biogeographical approaches: ecological, historical, and evolutionary biogeography.
- Historical development of the discipline and major contributions to biogeographical thought: Linnaeus, Buffon, Humboldt, Wallace, Darwin, Wegener, and Croizat.
- From descriptive biogeography to quantitative and molecular biogeography.
2. Geographical Distribution of Species: The Concept of Geographic Range
- Definition of geographic range and main characteristics of species distributions.
- Types of geographic ranges: continuous and discontinuous, disjunct and fragmented, and cosmopolitan.
- Wide and restricted ranges; endemic species and the concept of endemism.
- Palaeoendemism and neoendemism.
- Primary and secondary ranges.
- Methods for representing geographic ranges: distribution maps, occurrence maps, polygons, and geographic grids.
- Main indices used to describe geographic ranges: Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO).
3. Processes Determining Species Distributions: Geographical Dynamics
- Dispersal: modes, mechanisms, and dispersal barriers.
- Vicariance: range fragmentation and geographical isolation of populations.
- Comparison of dispersal and vicariance: interpreting disjunct distribution patterns.
- Range expansion, contraction, and fragmentation.
- Speciation and extinction as processes that shape species distributions and geographical diversity.
- Modes of speciation: allopatric, sympatric, and parapatric.
- Local and global extinctions, mass extinctions, and their biogeographical consequences.
4. Ecological Factors Determining and Limiting Geographic Ranges
- Population dynamics and fundamental and realised ecological niches.
- Abiotic factors: temperature, precipitation, humidity, light, soil characteristics, and resource availability.
- Biotic factors: competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, and interactions with other species.
- Limiting factors and ecological barriers to distribution.
5. Communities, Biomes, and Ecosystems: Distribution at the Ecological Scale
- Geographical distribution of communities and the organisation of biotic communities.
- Concepts of biome, ecosystem, and biogeographical region.
- Main terrestrial and aquatic biomes and the factors determining their distribution.
6. Historical Factors: Earth's History and Climate Change
- Origin and evolution of life on Earth: major stages in biological and geological history.
- Continental drift, plate tectonics, and the formation of geographical barriers.
- Geological and climatic events and their influence on organismal distributions.
- Major mass extinction events and subsequent phases of diversification.
- Quaternary glaciations and their consequences for biodiversity distribution.
- Glacial refugia, post-glacial range expansions, and recolonisation dynamics.
7. Biogeography of the Mediterranean Region and Italy
- Biogeographical characteristics of the Mediterranean Basin.
- Geological and palaeogeographical evolution of the Mediterranean: the Messinian Salinity Crisis and the formation and fragmentation of landmasses.
- Origin and diversification of Mediterranean flora and fauna.
- The role of Quaternary glaciations and Mediterranean refugia.
- Biogeography of the Italian Peninsula: the role of geological history, climatic gradients, and topographical complexity.
- Biogeography of Mediterranean islands and major areas of endemism.
- Endemism, biogeographical relicts, and speciation processes.
8. Island Biogeography
- Origin and characteristics of oceanic and continental islands.
- Colonisation, dispersal, and isolation of island populations.
- MacArthur and Wilson's theory of island biogeography.
- Relationship between island area, isolation, and species richness.
- Immigration and extinction rates and equilibrium dynamics.
- Adaptive radiation, island gigantism, and dwarfism.
- Island endemism and species vulnerability.
9. The World's Biogeographical Regions
- Definition and criteria for delimiting biogeographical regions.
- Historical origins and evolutionary significance of the main regions.
- Nearctic Region.
- Palearctic Region.
- Oriental Region.
- Afrotropical Region.
- Malagasy Region.
- Neotropical Region.
- Australian and Oceanian Regions.
- Main faunal and floral characteristics and associated elements of endemism.
- Historical and biogeographical relationships among regions: connections, separations, and faunal exchanges.
10. Reconstructing the Geographical History of Lineages: Molecular and Evolutionary Approaches
- Principles of molecular phylogenetics and reconstruction of evolutionary relationships.
- Molecular markers and their applications in biogeographical studies.
- Phylogeography: definition, objectives, and main methodological approaches.
- Identification of evolutionary lineages and isolated populations.
- Genetic divergence, geographical isolation, and speciation processes.
- Methods for reconstructing demographic and biogeographical history.
- Overview of the main approaches in historical and molecular biogeography: dispersal–vicariance, ancestral area reconstruction, and geographical diffusion models.
- Case studies and applications to animal and plant groups.
11. Conservation Biogeography
- Principles and objectives of conservation biogeography.
- Geographical distribution of biodiversity and identification of areas of high conservation value.
- Biodiversity hotspots, areas of endemism, and centres of diversity.
- Rare, endemic, and threatened species: distribution, vulnerability, and extinction risk.
- Habitat fragmentation, population isolation, and ecological connectivity.
- Climate change and prediction of future shifts in geographic ranges.
- Identification of priority areas for conservation.
- Application of biogeographical tools to the planning and management of protected areas.
Prerequisiti
To adequately follow the course, students are advised (but not required) to have basic knowledge of: - General biology, zoology, and botany, particularly with regard to organismal diversity and the main evolutionary processes. - Ecology, including the concepts of habitat, ecological niche, biotic and abiotic factors, and population dynamics. - Genetics and evolutionary biology, particularly with regard to genetic variability, speciation, phylogeny, and evolutionary relationships among organisms.Core Documentation
Lomolino M.V., Riddle B.R. & Whittaker R.J., Biogeography. Biological Diversity across Space and Time. Sinauer, Sunderland, USA.Also useful: Zunino M. & Zullini A., Biogeografia. La dimensione spaziale dell’evoluzione. Ambrosiana, Milano.
The teacher will supply students with specialist literature and additional material.
Attendance
The course will be held in person and attendance is strongly recommended.Type of evaluation
Assessment will be based on an oral examination aimed at evaluating students' knowledge and understanding of the topics covered during the course, as well as their ability to apply the acquired knowledge to the interpretation of biogeographical phenomena and patterns. In particular, the examination will assess: - Knowledge of the main concepts, theories, and processes in biogeography; - The ability to describe and interpret patterns in the geographical distribution of organisms, taking into account ecological, evolutionary, and historical factors; - Understanding of the processes of dispersal, migration, vicariance, speciation, and extinction; - The ability to interpret case studies relating to island, Mediterranean, and global biogeography; - Knowledge of the main approaches in molecular and historical biogeography and their applications; - The ability to link biogeographical knowledge to biodiversity conservation issues and the effects of climate change; - Clarity of expression, appropriate use of scientific terminology, and critical reasoning skills.