Biogeography: Introduction to Space, Time, and Life

By Glen MacDonald

Book Overview

Introduce students to the diversity embraced by the discipline of biogeography, revised and updated throughout Biogeography: Space, Time and Life provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of large-scale geographic distributions of life, focusing on ecology, evolution, physical geography and conservation. Now in its second edition, this award-winning textbook illustrates key concepts in biogeography using engaging empirical examples of modern plant and animal distributions, long-term evolutionary history and current conservation challenges. With an accessible style and clear structure, Biogeography defines fundamental terms from biology and physical geography, describes ecological biogeography and the biological features of the physical environment, explains key concepts in historical biogeography, explores the Earth's diverse biogeographic subdivisions, current issues in conservation and more. Student-friendly chapters cover topics including biological interactions, speciation and extinction, changing continents and climates, human evolution, modern biodiversity, the relationship between humans and plants, animals and other organisms, and the role of biogeography in conservation. Introduces basic concepts in the study of animal and vegetation distributions, including various human and environmental impacts on these distributions Examines how biological factors such as heat and predation impact different species of plants and animals Features short biographical sketches of major figures in the field and examples of the natural histories of various species Considers the application of biogeographic theory and techniques for the benefit of conservation and sustainability Includes a companion website for students, as well as an instructor's site with supplementary teaching resources Designed for students across a wide range of disciplines, from the biological and physical sciences to the social sciences and humanities , Biogeography: Space, Time and Life , Second Edition is an excellent textbook for undergraduate courses in biogeography, Earth systems science, and environmental studies.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1119904587
• ISBN13: 9781119904588
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.7" x 1.1" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The first thorough synthesis of Biogeography

I waited a long time for this book to come out, after hearing about it at a professional conference. I was at first disappointed by the lack of more colorful graphics, but then when I was able to read the text thoroughly, it was clear that content was the reason to buy this. While others have tried providing syntheses for biogeography, this is the first and only one that has struck me as appropriate for classroom use. It would be quite suitable for an upper-division undergraduate course in Biogeography and many in Biology will also find this volume useful, especially those in Ecology or Conservation Biology. All in all, MacDonald's first stab at a modern synthesis of a growing field hits the mark, and should only improve with time and further editions. This volume, although pricey in hardback form, will make a great companion to Quammen's "Song of the Dodo Bird" in elucidating the complexity and beauty of biogeography. Kudos to the author.