BIOGEOGRAPHY AND MACROECOLOGY
Continental drift and glaciations
Theories of biogeography
Origin of flowering plants vs. mammals
Cladistic biogeography
Macroecology
WEEK
BCB 322
1
BIOGEOGRAPHY
AND
MACROECOLOGY
2
DATE
CONTENT
4 Feb Mon
8.30-9.30
Lecture: Introduction
7 Feb Thurs
9.40-10.40
Lecture: Continental
drift and glaciations
8 Feb Fri
8.30-9.30
Lecture: The Age of
the angiosperms
11 Feb Mon
8.30-9:30
Origin of the
Angiosperms
14 Feb Thurs
9.40-10.40
Lecture: Mammalian vs
flowering plant
geography
15 Feb Fri
8.30-9.30
Lecture: Origin of the
Cape flora
PRACTICALS
Tuesday 2-5;
Thursdays
10:50-13:00
PRACTICAL
PROJECT
3
BIOGEOGRAPHY
AND
MACROECOLOGY
4
18 Feb Mon
830-9:30
Lecture: Research
paper discussion:
Fynbos
21 Feb Thurs
9.40-10.40
Lecture: Tracking
family histories (1)
22 Feb Fri
8.30-9.30
Lecture: Tracking
family histories (2)
25 Feb Mon
830-9:30
Lecture: Tracking
family histories (3)
28 Feb Thurs
9.40-10.40
Lecture: Molecular
methods and Plant
biogeography
29 Feb Fri
8.30-9.30
Lecture: Test
PRACTICAL
PROJECT
PRACTICAL
PROJECT
5
6
BIOGEOGRAPHY
AND
MACROECOLOGY
7
3 Mar Mon 8309:30
Origin of Dinosaurs and
mammals
6 Mar Thurs
9.40-10.40
Endemism
7 Mar Fri
8.30-9.30
Island biogeography
10 Mar Mon
830-9:30
Paper discussion on
Island biogeography
13 Mar Thurs
9.40-10.40
Latitudinal gradients and
diversity
14 Mar Fri
8.30-9.30
Body size and abundance
relationships
17 Mar Mon
830-9:30
Body size and extinction
rates
20 Mar Thurs
9.40-10.40
Revision
PRACTICAL
PROJECT
THEORY
1. INTRODUCTION:
Overview; course specifics
2. CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND
GLACIATIONS:
Plate tectonics; Geographical and climatic
timelines
3. THE AGE OF THE ANGIOSPERMS Geological and, paleo-ecological
evidence, Gondwanan families
4. ORIGIN OF THE ANGIOSPERMS:
5. ORIGIN OF THE CAPE FLORA:
6. PAPER DISCUSSION
Theories on origin of Angiosperms
Origin of the Cape flora using track
analysis; Gondwanan, African and Boreal
tracks.
Plant diversity of the Cape Region of
Southen Africa (Goldblatt & Manning (1997)
7. TRACKING FAMILY HISTORIES (1): Plants, insects and Tetrapods a
comparison
8. TRACKING FAMILY HISTORIES (2): Track analysis of Weevils
9. TRACKING FAMILY HISTORIES (3): :
Track analysis of Hominids
10. MOLECULAR METHODS AND BIOGEOGRAPHY: Dating floras using molecular
methods: Phylica
11. ORIGIN OF DINOSAURS AND MAMMALS:
Different phases in the origin and
diversification
12. ENDEMISM:
Factors driving endemism with
examples
13. ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY:
Equilibrium theory, immigration
and extinction
14. PAPER DISCUSSION ON ISLAND
BIOGEOGRAPHY
Anagenetic evolution in island
plants
15. LATITUDINAL GRADIENTS AND DIVERSITY:
Quadrupedal animal diversity and
plant productivity
16. GLOBAL PATTERNS AND SEED SIZE:
Paper discussion
17. BODY SIZE AND ABUNDANCE RELATIONSHIPS: Relationship between body size
and population abundance (size)
18. BODY SIZE AND EXTINCTION RATES:
Relationship between body size
and extinction rates
RESEARCH TOPIC
MONOTYPIC GENUS OR FAMILY
Plant or animal (preferably a vertebrate) or (allowed to select a genus that
has <5 spp.) and that has:
some importance to science
some biodiversity conservation situation
an interesting history
something interesting about it’s biology/ecology
etc.
For this topic I expect a fairly detailed literature review (books, articles
and the web), you need to discuss in point form why the species you
have chosen is unique/interesting/etc., and relevant aspects of it’s
morphology, biology and/or ecology (and if you can incorporate some
ideas from a colleague or other professional).
PRACTICAL PROJECT
Select one plant species from the CFNR and confirm your choice with me.
Then:
Map the plant’s distribution in the Reserve using a GPS.
Describe the plants habit, habitat, morphology, reproductive biology (this
may be from the literature), its biogeographical history and anything else
that you think is relevant
Study the leaf anatomy focussing particularly on any special
structural/functional features and illustrate these with suitable
photographs of the epidermis, cross-sections, etc.
The final results to be presented as a full report under headings: Aims,
Introduction (and literature), materials and methods, results, discussion,
conclusions and references.
COURSE EVALUATION
COURSE MARK = 100%
COURSE WORK 60%
TEST
15/60 (25%)
ISLAND BIOGEOGRARY
EXERCISE 5/60 (8%)
EXAMINATION 40%
RESEARCH TOPIC
10/60 (17%)
PRACTICAL/PROJECT
30/60 (50%)
SKILLS
1. ACCESS INFORMATION
2. READ SCIENTIFIC PAPERS
3. FIELD TECHNIQUES
4. LAB TECHNIQUES
5. SCIENTIFIC METHOD
6. SCIENTIFIC REPORT WRITING