Zoogeography: Spatial Aspects of Animal Populations
Glossary

Animal ranges

The area of natural occurrence of a given animal species; often changes over time, and in some cases even seasonally.

Convergent evolution

Theory that holds that organisms in widely separated biogeographic realms, although descended from diverse ancestors, develop similar adaptations to measurably similar habitats.

Ecological niche

The way a group of organisms makes its living in nature, or the environmental space within which an organism operates most efficiently.

Ecological zoogeography

The study of animals as they relate to their total environment.

Habitat

The environment a species normally occupies within its geographical range.

Mutation

Variation in reproduction in which the message of heredity (DNA) contained in the genes is imperfectly passed on and from which new species may originate.

Wallace's Line

Zoogeographer Alfred Russel Wallace's controversial boundary line that purportedly separates the unique faunal assemblage of Australia from the very different animal assemblage of neighboring Southeast Asia; Wallace's famous line, introduced over a century ago, is still the subject of debate today.

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Links

Conservation
A page of wildlife conservation links, including the National Wildlife Federation and the Living Planet.

Ecoregions
Background information on world ecoregions, as well as maps information about conservation programs.