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Lines of Evidence: The Science of Evolution. Biogeography. The distribution of species on Earth provides evidence that informs our understanding of both the evolution of life and the movement of continents across the globe via plate tectonics.
The field of molecular biology provides the most detailed and convincing evidence available for biological evolution. In its unveiling of the nature of DNA and the workings of organisms at the level of enzymes and other protein molecules, it has shown that these molecules hold information about an organism’s ancestry.
Biogeography is the study of geological species distribution, which is influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. Some species are endemic and are only found in a particular region, while others are generalists and are distributed worldwide.
This paper provides an overview of the evolution of the discipline from methods focused on finding general patterns of distribution (cladistic biogeography), to those that integrate biogeographic processes (event-based biogeography), to modern probabilistic approaches (parametric biogeography).
The order and timing of events is known as chronology; geographic patterns in the distribution of living things over the Earth is known as biogeography.
Biogeography is a synthetic science, related to geography, biology, soil science, geology, climatology, ecology and evolution. Some fundamental concepts in biogeography include: allopatric speciation – the splitting of a species by evolution of geographically isolated populations
The focus here is on outlining some of these major developments, specifically in the context of paleontology, by emphasizing the significance of geographic isolation and allopatric speciation, punctuated equilibria, and the Turnover Pulse Hypothesis to evolutionary theory.
Evidence for evolution: anatomy, molecular biology, biogeography, fossils, & direct observation.
We discuss the impact of key biotic innovations on global biogeochemical cycles on the planetary-scale evolution of Earth’s biosphere. We argue for the relatively early evolution of...
What you’ll learn to do: Describe how the theory of evolution by natural selection is supported by evidence. The evidence for evolution is compelling and extensive. Looking at every level of organization in living systems, biologists see the signature of past and present evolution.