A place name doesn't make it biogeography
- The idea
- Predict
- See it
- Why
- Check
The idea
“If an observation says where something lives or was found, it's biogeography.”
The word has geography in it, so a place name looks like a giveaway. But almost every observation happens somewhere.
The short version
The mistake: If an observation says where something lives or was found, it's biogeography.
What's actually true: Biogeography is evidence from where related species live, such as close relatives clustering in one region.
- Biogeography is the pattern of where species live. Close relatives tend to live near each other, because new species form where their ancestors were.
- So ask what was measured. DNA or proteins make it molecular. Matching body parts make it anatomy. Embryos make it embryology. Remains in rock make it fossil evidence.
On the exam: Biogeography means related species and where they live. A place name by itself doesn't count.