Biogeography

Biogeography is the scientific discipline that investigates the distribution of species and biological communities on Earth, exploring their causes in space and time. This science is based on an interdisciplinary approach, integrating knowledge from biology, ecology, geology, paleontology, and climatology. It analyzes how historical factors (such as evolution and plate tectonics, which caused continental drift and the formation of geographical barriers) and ecological factors (such as climate, resource availability, and biotic interactions like competition and predation) influence the distribution patterns of organisms. The research at the BiGeA Department concern Historical Biogeography, which studies how past events (glaciations, geological changes) have shaped the distribution of biodiversity, and Ecological Biogeography, which studies how current factors (climate, habitat, interactions) act in regulating the distribution of species and biological communities.