Patterns of Life

This is an introductory text to biogeography. The contents are arranged into four main parts. Part one deals with the Earth's physical processes and energy cycles, eg lunar and circadian patterns. Part two covers the evolution and development of the biosphere. Here, theories and evidence for the generation of the Earth's atmosphere and interactions between early organisms and the environment are covered. This is followed by sections on continental drift and its impact on flora and fauna along with a description of ice age events and their biogeographic implications. Part three provides examinations of varying situations such as freshwater, marine, terrestrial, island and climatic environments. The concluding chapters of this section look at environments linked by animal migrations and coevolution, and the interactions of soils, plants, animals and their products in functioning communities. Part four deals with the impact of mankind on the planet. Key aspects discussed here include the influence of agriculture, petroleum and petrochemicals, the creation and extermination of plants and animals, and urban industrial development on the evolution of patterns of life on our world.

One Physical Foundations.- One The planetary and geological context of life.- General background.- Cratering.- Faulting.- Volcanism.- Gradation and landforms.- Isostatic adjustment of the crust.- Sea-floor spreading and continental drift.- Organic landforms.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Two The Earth, life, and energy cycles.- The Earth and energy cycles.- Cycles based on orbital changes.- The Moon and the Earth’s tides.- Periodic extinctions of plants and animals.- Conclusions 35 Further reading.- Two Past Events and their Biogeographic Significance.- Three Evolution of the biosphere.- The evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere.- Evolutionary relationships between organisms.- Biogeochemical pathways and the evolution of the atmosphere.- Physical evidence of the evolution of the Earth’s biosphere.- Conclusions 57 Further reading.- Four Continental drift.- The development of the continental drift idea: the early hypothesis.- The modern theory of sea-floor spreading and plate tectonics.- Paleogeography: continental drift during the Phanerozoic.- The response of animals to continental movement and geomagnetic changes.- Plate tectonics and the pattern of life.- The continuing effect of continental drift.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Five Biogeographic patterns and ice age events.- Types of glaciers.- Causes of extensive glaciation.- Glacial climatology.- Reshaping the Earth’s surface.- Biogeographic implications of glacial events.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Three Present Environments and Biogeographic Patterns.- Six The climatic environment.- Meteorological processes.- Mountain climates and biogeography.- The relationship between climate and vegetation.- Dynamic aspects of climate and biogeography.- Proxy data of climatic change.- Causes of climatic fluctuations.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Seven Marine and terrestrial environments.- The Earth’s two major environments.- Soil as a major evolutionary development.- Productivity and structures of the marine environment.- Productivity and structural characteristics of terrestrial biosystems.- Interaction of marine and terrestrial systems.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Eight Freshwater environments.- The water cycle.- Streams.- Soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.- General characteristics of stream organisms.- Natural impoundments.- The estuary.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Nine Island environments.- The physical geographic setting of islands.- Biotic features of islands.- Characteristics of the patterns of island life.- Mountain tops, refugia, and other islands.- Evolutionary significance of islands.- Human disruption of islands.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Ten Environments linked through animal movements.- Skills and aids required for navigation.- Navigation feats of organisms.- The origin of flight.- Bird migration.- Insect migration.- Fish migrations.- Migration among mammals.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Eleven Organisms and environments integrated through coevolution.- The compartment and transfer model.- Plant-to-plant relationships.- Plant-soil relationships.- Plant-animal interactions.- Animal-animal relationships: predators and prey.- Animal-soil relationships: biogeochemical dynamos.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Four the Human Impact.- Twelve Fire as an old and new agent of change.- Attributes of humans and other animals.- Metabolism of animals and humans.- Evolution of fire as a human cultural tool.- Carbon dioxide.- Acid rain.- Nuclear winter.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Thirteen Man the maker and exterminator of plants and animals.- Human population growth.- Subsistence diet of the hunter and gatherer.- The plant diet and neolithic lifestyle.- Plant domestication.- The Columbian exchange.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Fourteen Biogeographic repercussions of the intensification of agriculture.- The North American prairie: grassland to grainfield.- The cultural evolution of till agriculture.- Industrialization of till agriculture.- The impact of agriculture on patterns of life.- Plant breeding: expanding the perplexity of mechanized agriculture.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Fifteen The impact of urban-industrial development on patterns of life.- The impact of petroleum and petrochemicals.- Industrialization, urbanization, and population growth.- Final conclusions.- Further reading.- References.