SEPARATING TWO WORLDS: FAUNAL

BOUNDARY LINES
Boundaries and borders have separated nations for millenia. They have
caused the separation of people, cultures and have at times caused
inter-state conflicts. Most importantly though, such boundaries have
caused the development of knowledge and technology on both sides to
differ greatly over time. The Romans had countless intellectual
renaissances incomparable to those of their neighbouring tribes. The
British, French, Germans and Italians had vastly different lifestyles during
the Middle Ages. Even during modern history, the Iron Curtain separated
a continent into two contrasting worlds. Although animals certainly can't
wage war against one another, there are certain invisible boundary lines
across the world that separate utterly different biodiversity landscapes
on either side, with similar qualities as nation boundaries.

The term faunal boundary line or biogeographic boundary may not ring a
bell in many people’s ears, and rightly so. It is a concept not widely
discussed, but nonetheless interesting. So what is it? Simply put, they are
the geographic and sometimes imaginary lines that separate two areas
with distinct biotas. Scratch that, it wasn't simply put. Anyways, the
fauna on both sides of the lines developed independently of each other
over millennia, and had acquired their own, unique genetic traits. The
most well known example of a faunal boundary line is the Wallace line,
splitting Indonesia in two. On one side, you could find tigers, elephants
and orangutans, while on the other the only thing you would find when
searching are small rodents and marsupials.

As Wallace travelled the 20km distance

between Bali to Lombok and documented
different landscapes of flora and fauna on
both ends, he suspected that geography
was not the only factor separating two
biogeographic areas. In fact, the geography
of the past and tectonic plate movements
serve as a leading causes of the formation of
faunal boundaries. Taking the Wallace Line
as an example, the islands situated on the
west of the line had been connected to the
Asian mainland in the past. Thus, animals
from the Asian mainland were able to travel
to these islands, until a recent rise in sea
levels. The islands east of the line were also
connected to form their own large landmass,
prior to tectonic plate shifting which brought
it closer to the Asian mainland. Sharp
changes in climate conditions, orographic
barriers, and others are additional factors
behind biogeographic boundaries.

BY ALEXANDER BOENJAMIN