Concepts of Biology. Lecture 37

Alexey Shipunov

Minot State University

December 8, 2014

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Outline

1 Where we are?

2 Our timeCenozoic eraEcogeography: origin of biomesBiogeography: origin of provinces

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Outline

1 Where we are?

2 Our timeCenozoic eraEcogeography: origin of biomesBiogeography: origin of provinces

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Where we are?

Herbivore mammals triggered the process of dinosaurdecline

Well, this is me who killed dinosaurs...

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Our time Cenozoic era

Our timeCenozoic era

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Our time Cenozoic era

From Paleogene to Quaternary

Cenozoic era:

Paleogene: starts 66 MyaIncludes:

PaleoceneEoceneOligocene

Neogene: starts 23 MyaIncludes:

MiocenePliocene

Quaternary: starts 2.5 MyaIncludes:

PleistoceneHolocene

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Our time Cenozoic era

Paleogene

Warm, even climate

South America isolated, Tethys sea is slowly closing, India moves to Asia

Mammals fill the big size class

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Our time Cenozoic era

Paleogene: when most of mammal order appeared

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Our time Cenozoic era

Paleogene: when aliens temporarily took empty niches

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Our time Cenozoic era

Neogene

Colder and drier

Ice covers Antarctic, Americas united

Grasses and hoofed mammals form grasslands

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Our time Cenozoic era

Quaternary

Great glaciation again (the last was in Carboniferous)

Rocky Mountains and Himalayas

Humans

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Our time Ecogeography: origin of biomes

Our timeEcogeography: origin of biomes

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Our time Ecogeography: origin of biomes

Ecogeography

The science which study the distribution of main ecosystems(biomes)Biomes are mostly based on vegetation

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Our time Ecogeography: origin of biomes

Map of Earth biomes (simplified from Wikipedia)

Tundra, boreal forests, grasslands, deserts, tropical forests

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Our time Ecogeography: origin of biomes

Origin of biomes

Tundra: Quaternary, the newest biomeBoreal forests: Paleogene, note the dominance of conifersGrasslands: Neogene, supports by both animals and plantsDeserts: Permian (very old!)Tropical forests: Paleogene, “made” by plants and insects

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Our time Biogeography: origin of provinces

Our timeBiogeography: origin of provinces

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Our time Biogeography: origin of provinces

Biogeography

Studies the distribution of plant and animal groups (notecosystems!)It is more tightly related with phylogeny and evolution

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Our time Biogeography: origin of provinces

Botanical and zoological maps of the world

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Our time Biogeography: origin of provinces

Great American Interchange

Before Neogene, South America was an isolated continent likeAustralia now and keeps very unusual faunaFormation of the Isthmus of Panama led to the dramatic exchangein fauna between South and North AmericasMore advanced northern animals invaded South America butsome of southern species (like armadillo, porcupines, opossums,giant sloth) became very successful on the North.

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Our time Biogeography: origin of provinces

Great American Interchange: north and south

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Our time Biogeography: origin of provinces

Some of this fauna lives now or was exterminated byearly humans

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Our time Biogeography: origin of provinces

For Further Reading

Ecogeography.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biome

Phytogeography.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytogeography

Great American Interchange.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Interchange

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