Unit 6: Evidence of Evolution

Lesson 6.3
Biogeographical Evidence of Evolution
Contents
Introduction 1

Learning Objectives 2

Warm Up 2

Learn about It! 3

Biogeography as a Science 3
Dispersal 5
Vicariance 5
Factors and Phenomena That Shape Biogeographical Patterns 6
Continental Drift 6
Climate and Sea Level Change 9
Migration 11
Geographical Barriers 12
Center of Origin 14

Key Points 15

Check Your Understanding 16

Challenge Yourself 17

Bibliography 17
Unit 6: Evidence of Evolution

Lesson 6.3

Biogeographical Evidence of
Evolution

Introduction
Have you ever wondered how animals and plants eventually end up where they are today?
For example, even the most remote islands still have organisms that inhabit them. How is
this possible if these islands have no visible connection to the mainland? Furthermore,
there are even some organisms that are similar across great geographic distances. How is
this possible?

Scientists, for centuries, have studied the patterns of distribution that organisms have.
They believe that looking at these patterns may give insights regarding how species have
developed over the history of Earth. This lesson will discuss the science of biogeography
and how it is related to evolution.

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Learning Objectives DepEd Competency

In this lesson, you should be able to do the

Explain biogeography as an
following: evidence of evolution
● Explain how biogeographical evidence (STEM_BIO11/12-IIIc-g-12).

supports evolution.
● Describe the concepts of biogeography
that relate to the study of evolution.

Warm Up

Organisms on Campus 25 minutes

Organisms are found everywhere. You may even have noticed a variety of plants and
animals in your school. This activity will allow you to look for these organisms.

Materials
● bond papers
● coloring and drawing materials

Procedure
1. Divide the class into groups of five members.
2. With your group, visit the different parts of the campus to look for animals and
plants. Tabulate the animals and plants that you find in the given table.
3. Discuss why you think these animals and plants are found in these areas of campus.
Write the answers in Table 6.3.1.
4. After 10 minutes of discussion, present your table to the rest of the class.
5. Answer the guide questions that follow.

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Observation Table
Table 6.3.1. Organisms found inside the campus

Organisms Reason

Guide Questions
1. Where are the organisms usually found in the campus?
2. How does location affect the presence of organisms?
3. What are the factors that contribute to them being found in the specific places where
you spotted them?
4. How does your answer in #2 apply to natural areas outside your campus?

Learn about It!

How is evolution supported by biogeographical

evidence?

Biogeography as a Science
The study of the distribution of species over space and time is crucial to the study of
evolution. Knowing when and where species existed is important in determining
evolutionary and ecological relationships. This is the primary concern of the field of
biogeography.

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Species often vary in distribution based on geographical area, latitude, climate conditions,
and many more. Biogeography deals with these distribution patterns not only in terms of
location but also in terms of when these distributions took place. Determining these factors
allows scientists to put together the evolutionary history of species.

How does geographic distribution give hints about

evolutionary history?

Biogeography tries to answer questions related to how species end up in the geographic
areas where they eventually settle in. As such, there are major established concepts to help
scientists answer these questions. Among the most important regarding the distribution of
organisms are the concepts of dispersal and vicariance.

Difference between vicariance and dispersal

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Dispersal
Dispersal refers to when a population moves across a geographical barrier in order to settle
in a new location. If this population has the necessary adaptations to survive in the new
area, then this population will most likely thrive. This may significantly impact the ecological
relationships in that location. If the population does not have the necessary adaptations,
then they will most likely die out.

The term dispersal may refer to both how plants spread seeds around and how organisms
occupy different geographic locations through movement.

Dispersal often leads to geographic isolation between the population that moved and the
part of the population that was left behind. This means that these populations of the same
species become unable to physically meet. Given enough time, speciation or the formation
of new species may occur. This is because the two populations cannot mix their gene pools
and become subjected to different environmental pressures.

Vicariance
If dispersal refers to a population actively moving across a geographical barrier, vicariance
refers to when a barrier appears which isolates two populations of the same species that
were once connected. An example is when an earthquake causes a river to overflow and
widen which causes two animal populations on each side of the river to become isolated
from each other. There are many instances in Earth’s history that caused vicariance to occur
to populations.

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The formation of mountain ranges and other landforms can cause vicariance.

Similar to dispersal, speciation may also occur if the populations are isolated for extended
periods of time.

Factors and Phenomena That Shape Biogeographical Patterns

There are many phenomena that scientists believe help shape biogeographical patterns.
Some of these include continental drift, migration, climate, sea levels, geographic
barriers, and centers of origin.

Continental Drift
Many scientists have noticed the common features between the species on different
continents, even though they are geographically separated. Similarly, some have also
noticed that fossils in different continents were very similar.

In 1912, a scientist named Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift. He
stated that the locations of the continents in Earth’s distant past were not the same as the
locations that they are found in today. He proposed that the landmasses on Earth are
continually moving although at a very slow pace.

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Shared faunal composition of the continents based on fossils

Evidence suggests that most of today’s continents were once connected in an ancient
supercontinent known as Pangaea, which is made up of Laurasia and Gondwana. The
connection between the modern continents in ancient times could possibly explain why the
similar assemblages of fossils and between species across continents occurred. The
breaking apart of Pangaea could be seen as an example of vicariance wherein new
geographic barriers isolated species from each other which led to speciation in different
areas. Further evidence of this can be seen in the fossil assemblages found in different
continents that were once connected through Pangea, in that the fossils, particularly of
Glossopteris, can be found in different modern continents. This proves that these landforms
were once continuous.

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How Alfred Wegener imagined Pangea looked like

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Did You Know?

Pangea is not the only supercontinent that scientists believe to
have formed in Earth’s history.

Other examples include Rodinia, Pannotia, and Slavia. The

landmasses that made up these continents make up different areas
today.

Climate and Sea Level Change

Much evidence suggests that the climate, temperatures, and sea levels of Earth varied over
its long history. There were long stretches of time wherein Earth’s climate was slightly
hotter, which led to the melting of polar ice and the increase of sea levels. On the opposite
end, colder temperatures led to the formation of more ice which lowered sea levels.

The changes in the sea levels on Earth affected the amount of land available for organisms
to thrive in. The lowering of sea levels led to more land being exposed from under the sea
and may have allowed species to colonize these areas. On the other hand, rising sea levels
forced terrestrial species inland. These patterns may have affected how species were
dispersed and how they interacted with each other.

Some places are found below sea level.

An example is this area between Jerusalem and the Dead sea.

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The dip in sea levels also meant that land bridges, which is a stretch of land that connected
areas in times when sea levels were low, became exposed from underwater. These land
bridges allowed species to disperse across them in order to colonize new areas. When
these land bridges were eventually covered again with water because of high sea levels,
then it could have been an example of vicariance. These phenomena led to the speciation
of many organisms when they became isolated for long periods of time.

An example of an important land bridge being studied by scientists is the Bering land
bridge which connected eastern Asia and western North America 20 000 years ago. Sea
levels were low at that period of Earth’s history which uncovered the land bridge. This
allowed early humans to migrate from Asia to North America and settle there. Scientists also
believe that many other species were able to migrate during that time. After thousands of
years, sea levels again rose which immersed the Bering land bridge under the sea. It
remains immersed in modern times.

The Bering land bridge between Russia and North America

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Migration
Migration also plays a big role in the distribution of populations and the evolution of new
species. Migration refers to the movement of populations from one geographic location to
another. Migration can either be emigration or immigration, depending on where the
population moves.

Emigration refers to the movement of a population away from an area. For example, a
sparrow population moves away from Mindoro. This sparrow population emigrated from
that area. Immigration, on the other hand, refers to the movement of a population into an
area. If the earlier example of the sparrow population emigrated from Mindoro and moved
to Bukidnon, then that population immigrated to Bukidnon.

Emigration and immigration in the population

Many organisms migrate on a regular basis and in many cases as part of their normal life
cycle. Sea turtles, when ready to mate, migrate to specific beaches in order to reproduce. At
other times, they migrate to foraging grounds where there is plenty of food. Migratory birds,
on the other hand, move away from cold areas during winter and into warmer areas where
food is more abundant.

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Migratory birds frequently move from one place to another

in accordance with the changing seasons.

The movement of populations allows for the flow of genes since they are able to reproduce
with populations outside their normal range of distribution. This allows variations to occur
in the gene frequencies of the populations involved. For example, if there is a population of
white butterflies in an area but black butterflies of the same species immigrated into that
area, then these populations can reproduce and produce new color combinations. This can
possibly affect survival and natural selection. As a result, it may also affect evolutionary
histories.

Geographical Barriers
The presence of geographical barriers, as was explained earlier, is significant in the
process of speciation and the isolation of populations. Examples of geographical barriers
are landforms like mountains and valleys, or bodies of water like rivers and oceans.

Geographical barriers may be selective in how they isolate populations from each other.
Some types of barriers may allow some species to disperse through, whereas the same
barrier completely bars other species from movement. For example, a landmass can
separate populations of lobsters in Panama. Because of this, the capacity to disperse across
the two sides can be restricted.

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The geographic barrier between populations of lobster in Panama

The presence of geographic barriers that lead to the isolation of species may cause
allopatric speciation. This is a type of speciation that arises from the isolation of species
due to a barrier causing them to become geographically, and possibly reproductively,
isolated. For example, a species of trees are split into two separate populations because of
the presence of a mountain. Over a long period of time, one population accrued enough
changes for it to be considered a new species because one side of the mountain had
different conditions.

This is in contrast with sympatric speciation wherein speciation occurs even when the
populations are found in the same habitat. This has been seen in many plant species, where
the polyploidy (or the presence of multiple sets of chromosomes) render some individuals
unable to reproduce with the non-polyploid individuals. If these polyploid plants survive
over a long period, they may be considered a completely new species.

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Allopatric and sympatric speciation

There are also geographical barriers that occur underwater. The presence of strong currents
and eddies (rotating water currents), for example, can also cause geographic isolation. An
example is the Halmahera eddy which is located south of the Philippines which is believed
to be a geographic barrier for some marine species that are unable to swim across the eddy.

Center of Origin
The center of origin refers to a geographic location where multiple species have been
proven to have acquired distinct characteristics which may have led to speciation. As a
result, these locations have very high biodiversity compared to other areas. Centers of origin
may refer to the rise of wild organisms or the diversification of domesticated ones.

Looking at the centers of origin may allow scientists to trace the evolution of certain groups
of plants and animals and allow them to reconstruct the evolutionary histories of these
organisms. Surveying the diversity in these areas can also give insights about how these
species diversified and dispersed across geographic locations.

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The geographic location of the East Indies

A very notable example of a center of origin that scientists believe to be an important

contributor to the evolution of marine biodiversity is the East Indies. This area refers to
parts of South and Southeast Asia which the Philippines is a part of. Researchers believe
that this region is where diversification of many marine species occurred and eventually
spread out to colonize other areas.

Key Points
___________________________________________________________________________________________
● Dispersal refers to when a population moves across a geographical barrier in order
to settle in a new location.
● Vicariance refers to when a barrier appears which isolates two populations of the
same species that were once connected.
● Evidence suggests that most of today’s continents were once connected to an ancient
supercontinent known as Pangaea.
● The dip in sea levels meant that land bridges, which is a stretch of land that
connected areas in times when sea levels were low, became exposed from
underwater.
● Migration refers to the movement of populations from one geographic location to
another. Migration can either be emigration or immigration.

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Patterns that affect the distribution of organisms

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Check Your Understanding

A. Identify the term being described in each statement below.

1. This is believed to be the center of origin for marine species in the area where the
Philippines is a part of.
2. This refers to the presence of multiple sets of chromosomes.
3. This refers to the movement of a population away from an area.
4. This is the theory that states that Earth’s landmasses are constantly moving.
5. This refers to when a population moves across a geographic barrier.
6. This refers to when a geographic barrier appears and separates populations.
7. This is when #6 occurs and is followed by speciation.
8. This is the landmass that connected North America and Russia.
9. These are the two supercontinents that made up Pangea.
10. This is the science that studies the distribution of organisms relative to their
histories and the history of Earth.

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B. Write true if the statement is accurate and false if otherwise.

1. A bird population moved away from India. This means that the population
immigrated away from India.
2. Only animals can disperse. Plants cannot since they are set in one place.
3. Land bridges were exposed in times of high sea levels.
4. High global temperature is usually associated with low sea level.
5. All geographic barriers are equally restrictive.
6. Dispersal and vicariance are always followed by speciation.
7. The center of origin usually has a lower diversity compared to other areas.
8. Vicariance can cause allopatric speciation.
9. Dispersal and sympatric speciation are exactly the same.
10. Sea level changes can account for changing the amount of land available for
terrestrial organisms.

Challenge Yourself

Answer the following questions.

1. How does migration affect the gene pool of an area?

2. How does vicariance lead to allopatric speciation?
3. Why does continental drift lead to changes in climate for certain areas?
4. How can the appearance of land bridges lead to dispersal?
5. How does global temperature affect sea levels?

Bibliography

Briggs, John C. “Marine Centres of Origin as Evolutionary Engines.” Journal of Biogeography

30, no. 1 (2003): 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2699.2003.00810.x.

Boyer, Rodney F. Concepts in Biochemistry. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2006.

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Carpenter, Kent E., and Victor G. Springer. “The Center of the Center of Marine Shore Fish
Biodiversity: the Philippine Islands.” Environmental Biology of Fishes 72, no. 4 (2005):
467–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-004-3154-4.

Hickman, Cleveland Pendleton, Susan L.. Keen, Allan Larson, William C.. Ober, and Claire W..
Garrison. Animal Diversity. New York: McGraw Hill Education., 2018.

Hickman, Cleveland P. Integrated Principles of Zoology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

Koonin, Eugene V., and Michael Y. Galperin. Sequence - Evolution - Function: Computational
Approaches in Comparative Genomics. New York: Springer, 2011.

Miller, Stephen A., and John P. Harley. Zoology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Russell, Peter J. Biology: The Dynamic Science. Student Ed. Belmont, CA:
Thomson/Brooks/Cole, 2008.

Starr, Cecie, Ralph Taggart, Christine A. Evers, and Lisa Starr. Biology: the Unity and Diversity
of Life. Boston, MA: Cengage, 2019.

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