Biogeography advances when new concepts, methodologies and tools allow us to see the world in different ways: plate tectonics reshaped the study of distributions, deep sea submersibles revealed life at hydrothermal vents, phylogeography was born through advances in sequencing, and macroecology originated in a novel top-down statistical view, to name but a few. We areContinue reading “Call for papers: Emerging Techniques and the Future of Biogeography”
Author Archives: BiogeographyNews
Life-form diversity across temperate deciduous forests of Western Eurasia: A different story in the understory
Deconstructing the forest community into three structural components — tree, shrub, ground floor – reveals different origins. Above: Forest in the lowlands of Asturias, Spain (August 2021 by Javier Loidi). Forests have always had a special appeal to ecologists, as they represent the most complex and developed type of terrestrial ecosystem. They are composed ofContinue reading “Life-form diversity across temperate deciduous forests of Western Eurasia: A different story in the understory”
The ecology of reef fishes explains latitudinal gradients of diversity, but how much?
Stochasticity is largely understood as ‘unpredictability’; but for reef fishes, demographic stochasticity is contingent on species ecological traits, including body size and trophic identity, which may subsequently be selected by humans. Above: Reef fish assemblages censused in the remote, understudied, Principe Island (Gulf of Guinea) in the Tropical Eastern Atlantic (photo by @Aketza Herrero). AsContinue reading “The ecology of reef fishes explains latitudinal gradients of diversity, but how much?”
ECR feature: Cindy Paquette on geographical gradients shaping zooplankton distribution
Cindy Paquette is a PhD student at the University of Quebec in Canada. She is an aquatic ecologist interested in the impact of climate change and human activities on lake aquatic environments. Here, Cindy shares her recent work on how zooplankton are structured at different spatial scales. Cindy Paquette collecting zooplankton in Lac Croche (StationContinue reading “ECR feature: Cindy Paquette on geographical gradients shaping zooplankton distribution”
ECR feature: Marcos Vinicius Dantas-Queiroz on the diversification in ancient neotropical mountains
Marcos Vinicius Dantas-Queiroz is a PhD from the São Paulo State University in Brazil. He is a botanist interested in linking microevolutionary processes to macroevolutionary patterns. Here, Marcos shares his recent work on the phylogeography of ancient neotropical mountains. Personal links. Personal website | Twitter Marcos Vinicius Dantas-Queiroz during lab work. Institute. São Paulo StateContinue reading “ECR feature: Marcos Vinicius Dantas-Queiroz on the diversification in ancient neotropical mountains”
ECR Feature: Kevin Ma on the abundance and distribution of invasive mussels
Kevin Ma is a postdoc at Rhodes University. He is a biogeographer with an interest in marine organisms and their spatial structure. Kevin shares his recent work on the distribution of the invasive mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, in South Africa. Kevin, sampling mussels during low tide. Links. Twitter | GoogleScholar | Webpage Institute. Rhodes University, SouthContinue reading “ECR Feature: Kevin Ma on the abundance and distribution of invasive mussels”
ECR feature: Joshua Hallas on the influence of historical biogeography and current environmental variation on patterns of genetic diversity.
Joshua Hallas is a PhD student at the University of Nevada in the USA. He is an evolutionary biologist interested in how environmental variation and natural histories mediate population structure, local adaptation, and genetic differentiation through time. Here, Joshua shares his recent work on the population genetics of the Western terrestrial garter snake. Joshua HallasContinue reading “ECR feature: Joshua Hallas on the influence of historical biogeography and current environmental variation on patterns of genetic diversity.”
Latitudinal gradient of host breadths in herbivorous butterflies
The combination of accumulated occurrence data and host use records across Japan revealed that the fundamental resource specialization of butterfly communities becomes more specialized toward higher latitudes. Above: Japonica lutea is a butterfly species widely distributed in Japan. Photograph by Ryosuke Nakadai. Are host breadths of herbivorous insects more specialized in the tropics compared toContinue reading “Latitudinal gradient of host breadths in herbivorous butterflies”
ECR feature: Mekala Sundaram on the climatic influence of conifers biodiversity
Mekala Sundaram is a postdoc at the University of Georgia in the USA. She is an ecologist interested in unveiling macroecological patterns. Here, Mekala shares her recent work on the influence of current and past climate on the global biodiversity of conifers. Mekala Sundaram is an ecologist working on the global diversity of conifers. PersonalContinue reading “ECR feature: Mekala Sundaram on the climatic influence of conifers biodiversity”
Award highlight: Connecting the past with the present
A paper describing two centuries of changes in crop regions is awarded the Humboldt-Caldas medal 2021 for best biogeography paper in Colombia/Ecuador. Above: Original cartography of Caldas’ crop regions showing the colonial profile of the travel route with vertical elevations, towns and the different crops Ali Salim. Ever since I began studying plant biology, IContinue reading “Award highlight: Connecting the past with the present”
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