biogeography
Americannoun
noun
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The scientific study of the geographic distribution of plant and animal life. Factors affecting distribution include the geologic history of a region, its climate and soil composition, and the presence or absence of natural barriers like deserts, oceans, and mountains. Biotic factors such as interactions among competing species, coevolutionary influences, and the reproductive and nutritional requirements of populations and species are also studied.
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◆ A biogeographic region is a large, generally continuous division of the Earth's surface having a distinctive biotic community. Biogeographic regions are usually defined separately for floral and faunal communities and are largely restricted to the terrestrial areas of the Earth.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of biogeography
Vocabulary lists containing biogeography
Evolutionary Biology - High School
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Evolutionary Biology - Middle School
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Evolutionary BIology - Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The theory of island biogeography, appealing in its simplicity, has its limitations.
From Science Daily • Dec. 3, 2024
The influential biologists Robert H. MacArthur and Edward O. Wilson coined the theory of island biogeography 50 years ago to help to explain patterns of species diversity on islands.
From Science Daily • Dec. 3, 2024
“It was a phenomenon that while classically invoked in ecology and biology and biogeography, we never really expect to see in a human lifetime.”
From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023
But such studies can be hard to publish in prominent journals, which favor studies of ecology, biogeography, or conservation.
From Science Magazine • Feb. 8, 2023
Since completing my Ph.D. in 1961, I have divided my scientific research efforts between two fields: molecular physiology on the one hand, evolutionary biology and biogeography on the other hand.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
