Biogeographic

Realms
Under Chapter 3
History of Biological Diversity and
Classification of Living Taxa
Biogeography
The study of the
patterns of distribution
of organisms, including
both extant and extinct
species
From a biogeographic point of view, it is
apparent that long before the formation of
Pangaea there had been a wide variety of
vascular plants, amphibians, insects,
lizards, etc.
 Barriers important in restricting large scale
distributions of groups of organisms.

Rapid, extreme changes in climate,

oceans or other large bodies of water
mountain ranges

Biogeographers separate
the land masses of earth
into “realms”.
The biogeographic realms

A. Nearctic
B. Palearctic
C. Neotropical
D. Ethiopian
E. Oriental
F. Australasian
1) Nearctic - North America and Greenland.

2) Palearctic - Europe and Asia, but excluding the Indian

subcontinent and southeast Asia

3) Neotropical - South America + Central America and

southernmost Mexico.

4) Ethiopian - Africa south of the Mediterranean coastal region

5) Oriental - India and southeast Asia

6) Australasian - Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and the

Pacific islands southeast of Wallace's line
Tectonic plates and biogeographic realms correspond
closely, but not perfectly.
The explanation for
separation of realms and
many species’
distributions arises from
continental drift.
 Pangaea Supercontinent

The world as we know it

290 million years ago

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/educators/resource/pangea-puzzle/
Evidences supporting the
importance of continental drift to
biogeographic patterns
Close match
throughout
1. The fit between South these areas
America and Africa using
contemporary coastlines.
In the region of close fit the
cratons match, not only in shape,
but also stratigraphy.
Andes rise as
South America
moves westward
into the Pacific
plate
2. The Evidence of Permian Flora
A map of areas in the southern continents apparently glaciated during
the Permian shows that a logical physical alignment also matches the
distributions of flora across continents.

280-230 MYA --strong evidence of widespread glaciation over

parts of South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, India and the
Falkland Islands.

Glaciers existed from the late Carboniferous, and probably had

considerable influence over the southern flora.
Flora is made up of seed-bearing tree ferns Glossopteris and
Gangamopteris- different from the species composition on northern
continents

https://prehistoricearth.fandom.com/wiki/Glossopteris
• Patterns in
biogeography often
demonstrate history

• e.g. biogeographical
realms reflect
breakup of
supercontinent

Carl Linnaeus, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What are biogeographic realms?
• a geographic region where a group of plant and
animal species evolved

• represent the sum global outcome of the entire

history of evolution, migration, and extinction
throughout the history of life on Earth

• Boundaries = places where there are dramatic

changes in the composition of floras and faunas
The basic divisions in the realms
are between:
a. New World vs. Old World
b. Northern hemisphere vs. Southern
The Realms
Nearctic
Wide range of biomes (tundra,
grassland, forests, deserts)

Has been separated from

Neotropical by deserts and, until
about 3 million years ago, by
ocean
 The Realms

Palearctic
This realm shows a wide
range of biomes (tundra,
grassland, forests, deserts)

Has been separated from

southern realms by deserts,
mountains, and ocean
The Realms
Neotropical, Ethiopian, Oriental
Tropical forests, deserts
and savannas
Used to be united as
Gondwanaland
Separated by oceans
The Realms

Australasian
Desert core, surrounded by tropical forest and savanna
The most isolated realm, with the most unique plants and animals
- Eucalyptus trees
- Pouched marsupial mammals
 Distribution patterns
1. Biogeographic realm– Oriental, Australian
2. Disjunct- found in different geographic regions
3. Cosmopolitan- worldwide
4. Endemic- found only in a certain region/locality
The Distribution of Ratite Birds
 Vicariance of ratites due to continental drift

The rhea became

isolated from the
other ratites when S.
The kiwi
America separated
appears to
from Africa have evolved
in Australia
and migrated
to New
Zealand later.
 https://ebird.org/species/phitro1
https://ebird.org/species/copbar1
https://ebird.org/ http://www.kilmorieschool.co.uk/
https://ebird.org/
Do you have any
questions?
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