Biogeography

Course Description

Objectives
The introduction to biogeograhic thought, especially the comprehension of the importance of the interaction between environmental conditions and historical dynamics in shaping the patterns of the distribution of the different life-forms on earth.

Content
Introduction and historical evolution, environmental factors and species distribution, environmental factors and community distribution, alterations of the earth surface in geological time-scales, effects of glacial periods, speciation and extinction, dispersal mechanisms and barriers, distribution patterns, biogeographic histories, island biogeography, continental patterns, applications in the conservation of nature.

Teaching & Assessment
3 hours lectures / week – written exams.