UNIT-1

Introduction to Biogeography
Que-1: Define Biogeography.
Ans: The term biogeography is coming from the union of two words Bio+Geo.
“Bio” means ‘Biology’ which is a science deals with living phenomena and the
“Geo” means a science related to both living and non-living phenomena.
Que-2: Nature and Scope of Biogeography.
Ans: NATURE:
1. Ecology and its Principle:
● Ecology:
● Environment:

● Organization of Life:
● Population:

● Habitat:
- Feature of a Habitat:

● Niche and Organism:

● Adaptation:

● Biological Community:
● Biosphere:

● Ecosystem:

● Species Composition:
- Two types of Species Composition:

● Stratification:

● Food Chain:
● Food Web:

● Ecological Pyramids:

2. Ecosystem:
● Biome:
3. Ecological Succession:
4. Biogeographical Regions:
Que-3: Scope of Biogeography and its approaches.
Que-4: Relevance of Biogeography.
 UNIT-2
Energy in the Earth-Atmosphere System
 UNIT-3
World Climatic Pattern (Koppen)
Que-1: Discuss the Koppen’s Climatic Classification
Ans: Introduction:
 ● CLIMATIC CLASSIFICATION:
Major Type Sub Type Sub-Sub Vegetation Region
Type
A= Tropical Af - Rain forest
Moist - Tropical rain forest vegetation
Climate - Hot (Selvas)
- Rainy all seasons - Dense
forest
Am _ - Grasslands
- Tropical monsoon - Drought
- Hot resistant
- Seasonally excessive rainfall trees
- Scrub
Aw - Thorn
- Tropical savanna bushes
- Hot
- Seasonally dry (usually dry)

B= Dry BW - BWh - Xerophytic

Climates - Dry arid - BWk Vegetation
- Desert - Dry
- Low RH Savanna
- Irregular or unreliable - Short
rainfall Grass
Vegetation
BS - BSh
- Dry Semi-arid (steppe)
- More precipitation than
- BSk
BW

C= Cf - Cfa - Mixed
Temperate - Subtropical wet Climate - Cfb forest
Climate - Long and hot summer - Cfc - Grasslands
- Pines
season
- Naturally
Forested
Cs - Csa - Green year
- Dry Hot Summer - Csb round
- Low rainfall
Cw - Cwa
- Winter dry season - Cwb
- Very low rainfall
D= Moist Ds - Dsa - Broad-leaf
Continental - Dry summers - Dsb deciduous
Mid-Latitu - Dsc forest
Df - Dsd - Mixed
de Climates
- Wet all seasons forest
- Dfa
- Coniferous
Dw - Dfb
forest
- Dry Winters - Dfc
- Taiga
- Dfd

- Dwa
- Dwb
- Dwc
- Dwd

E= polar ET - Mosses
Climate - Each month colder than 10 - Lichens
degree C - Dwarf
- Tundra climate trees
- Formation of Permafrost - Scattered
layer woody
- Low precipitation and
_
shurbs
evaporation

EF
- Each month colder than 0
degree C
- Ice Cap Climate
- Low precipitation
- No vegetation

H= Highlands Climate - The Cascades

- Most modern climate schemes - Sierra Nevadas
- Added to accommodate the changes in climate as one climbs a mountain - Rockies
- Determining factor is altitude - Andes
- Has no subcategories - Himalayas
- Governed by topography - Plateau of Tibet
- Eastern highlands of
Africa
- Central portion of
Borneo and New
Guinea
● ADVANTAGES:
● LIMITATIONS:
Que-2: Give a detailed account of the world distribution of
vegetation with respect to Koppen Climatic Classification.
Major Type Sub Type Vegetation Region
A= Tropical Af - Rain forest
Moist - Tropical rain forest vegetation
Climate - Hot (Selvas)
- Rainy all seasons - Dense forest
- Grasslands
Am - Drought
- Tropical monsoon resistant trees
- Hot - Scrub
- Seasonally excessive rainfall - Thorn bushes

Aw
- Tropical savanna
- Hot
- Seasonally dry (usually dry)

B= Dry BW - Xerophytic
Climates - Dry arid Vegetation
- Desert - Dry Savanna
- Low RH - Short Grass
- Irregular or unreliable Vegetation
rainfall

BS
- Dry Semi-arid (steppe)
 - More precipitation than
BW

C= Cf - Mixed forest
Temperate - Subtropical wet Climate - Grasslands
Climate - Long and hot summer - Pines
- Naturally
season
Forested
Cs - Green year
- Dry Hot Summer round
- Low rainfall
Cw
- Winter dry season
- Very low rainfall
D= Moist Ds - Broad-leaf
Continental - Dry summers deciduous
Mid-Latitu forest
Df - Mixed forest
de Climates
- Wet all seasons - Coniferous
forest
Dw - Taiga
- Dry Winters
E= polar ET - Mosses
Climate - Each month colder than 10 - Lichens
degree C - Dwarf trees
- Tundra climate - Scattered
- Formation of Permafrost woody shurbs
layer
- Low precipitation and
evaporation

EF
- Each month colder than 0
degree C
- Ice Cap Climate
- Low precipitation
- No vegetation

H= Highlands Climate - The Cascades

- Most modern climate schemes - Sierra Nevadas
- Added to accommodate the changes in climate as one climbs a - Rockies
mountain - Andes
- Determining factor is altitude - Himalayas
- Has no subcategories - Plateau of Tibet
- Governed by topography - Eastern highlands
of Africa
- Central portion of
Borneo and New
Guinea

● Conclusion:
- Relationship between vegetation and Temperature-rainfall

Que-3: Give a detailed account on horizontal and vertical

distribution of vegetation.

● Locational Factors:
 HORIZONTAL DISTRIBUTION
Ecologists recognize at least ten different biomes. The world’s major land
biomes include tropical rain forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, desert,
temperate grassland, temperate woodland and shrubland, temperate forest,
north-western coniferous forest, boreal forest, and tundra. Each of these
biomes is defined by a unique set of abiotic factors – particularly climate – and
has a characteristic ecological community.
- Refer ‘Biome_Characteristics’

VERTICAL/ALTITUDINAL DISTRIBUTION

1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
 UNIT-4
Floral and Faunal Regions
Que-1: Give a detailed account of the Floral/Faunal Faunal Regions
of the World.
● Faunal/Zoogeographical Regions:
Region/Realm Location and Sub-regions Climate Ecology Fauna
Extent
Nearctic North America, 1. California Extreme Deciduous Vampire, Arctic
Mexico, Aleutian 2. Rocky Cold and forest, Tundra, fox, Rain deer,
Island and Greenland Mountains Hot Coniferous and Polar Beer,
3. Allegheny huge grass land Mole, Bison
4. Canadian

Neotropical South and Central 1. Chilean Tropical dry Tropical Lama, Oil birds,
America, Lower 2. Brazilian lands and rainforest, Cavis, Vampire,
temperate
 Mexico and West 3. Mexican Savannah grass Tapir, American
Indies 4. Antillean lands & desert Monkey

Palaearctic Whole of Europe, 1. European Extreme Deciduous, Yak, Mole,

North of Africa, Asian 2. Mediterranean Cold of Tundra, Civet, Upupa
Himalayas 3. Siberian Siberia and Coniferous and
4. Manchurian hot of mixed forest
Sahara
Ethiopian Southern part of 1. East African Temperate Rain forest, Giraffe, Zebra,
Tropic of Cancer of 2. West African but mostly Deciduous Gorilla,
Africa, Arabia and 3. South African hot Forest & desert Chimpanzee,
Madagascar 4. Malagasy Rhinoceros

Oriental Most of Asia 1. Indian Temperate, Eastern dense Black Buck,

2. Ceylonese Annual rain forest, Panda, Rhino,
3. Indo-Chinese rainfall= Western desert Frog, Gibbon
4. Indo-Malayan more than & other past
1500mm with moderate
forest
Australian Australia, New 1. Astro-Malayan Hot to Rain forest, Crowned
Zealand, New 2. Australian temperate, grassland, Pigeon, turtle,
Guinea, Tasmania 3. Polynesian Rainfall= Eucalyptus Kangaroo, bat,
4. New Zealand 75mm Forest frog, Kiwi
FLORAL/FLORISTIC REGIONS
● Importance

UNIT-5
 Ecological succession
Que-1: What is Ecological Succession.
● Types of Ecological Succession:
1. Primary Succession:
2. Secondary Succession:
● Other type of Ecological Succession:
● Conclusion:
Que-2: Discuss the different theories of Ecological Succession.
Que-3: Primary Succession or secondary Succession.
● Define Succession
● Examples of disturbance/ response to disturbance
● Causes
● Primary Succession/ Secondary succession
● Clements 6 stages
● Case Study of Primary Stage:

● Case Study of Secondary Stage:

Que-4: Explain the concepts of Ecological Succession and Climax
Community.
● Introduction
● Disturbances
● Causes
● Stages:
 ● Conclusion:
- Theories

Que-5: How do ecosystem or biotic community change by the

process of ecological succession?
● Introduction
● Disturbances
● Different types of Succession
● Types of 3 stages
● Climax communities