1. Biological diversity and the geography of nature

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Mark V. Lomolino
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
Geographic Context ◽  
Age Of Enlightenment ◽  
Diversity Of Life

Throughout history, insights into understanding the diversity of life forms have come from placing natural phenomena within an explicit geographic context. “Biological diversity and the geography of nature” maps the discoveries of early explorers in the field, from the Age of Enlightenment to the present day. Where do distinct species occur? How and why do they vary from place to place? Buffon’s Law identified three fundamental processes of biological diversity: evolution, dispersal (or immigration), and extinction. Biological processes are complex—not only because they arise from a variety of factors and processes including evolution, but because the species themselves interact to influence each of the fundamental processes.

scholarly journals AN INVESTIGATION ON THE SCOPE OF THE CONCEPT OF BIODIVERSITY IN TURKEY AT HIGH SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziya Ince ◽  
Vedat Şahin
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Geography Education ◽  
Living Things ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Living Species ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Diversity Of Life ◽  
11Th Grade

<p>One of the definitions of biodiversity, which has many definitions, is the differences between living things or the diversity of life forms in the world. According to another definition, biodiversity is a group of wholes formed by genes, species, ecosystems and ecological events in a region. The importance of biodiversity is gradually increasing nowadays where some living species existing on earth are gradually disappearing. In this context, many disciplines have started to work on this subject. Studies in the fields of biology and science are especially important. On the other hand, although some studies have been done on the subject in the field of geography, studies on the place of biodiversity in geography education are limited. Biodiversity; Turkey has not received the place it deserves due to be reduced to just one unit in the Geography Curriculum. Biodiversity, due to the reduction to only one unit in the Geography Curriculum in Turkey, it has not received its deserved place. Because, when the secondary education geography curriculum is examined, it is seen that only in the first unit of 11th grade includes biodiversity. Likewise, there is only one learning outcome directly related to the subject in the Geography Education Program. Document analysis technique, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used in our research. In the research, the place of biodiversity subject in secondary education geography curriculum was examined. Within this framework, journals, articles, books of academic value and reports containing statistical data that are published regarding to the topic were reviewed. In this context, many resources published in domestic and foreign languages on the internet has been scanned. In conclusion, in order for the biodiversity of what our country has, to be understood in terms of the whole society, this existence must be well known and assimilated. It gains importance to increase the efforts to transfer the biological diversity that exists in our day to future generations. Geography education is one of the most important factors in order to increase the level of awareness in this regard. In this context, it is important to allocate more space for this subject in different units in the secondary education geography curriculum.</p><p> </p><p>Birçok tanımı olan biyoçeşitliliğin bir tanımı, canlılar arasındaki farklılıklar veya dünyadaki yaşam formlarının çeşitliliğidir. Bir başka tanıma göre ise biyoçeşitlilik; bir bölgedeki genlerin, türleri, ekosistemlerin ve ekolojik olayların oluşturduğu bütünler topluluğudur. Yeryüzünde var olan bazı canlı türünün yavaş yavaş yok olduğu günümüzde biyoçeşitliliğin önemi giderek artmaktadır. Bu bağlamda birçok disiplin bu konuda çalışmalar yapmaya başlamıştır. Bunlardan özellikle biyoloji ve fen bilimleri alanlarındaki çalışmalar önemlidir. Diğer yandan coğrafya alanında konu üzerine bazı çalışmalar yapılmış olsa da coğrafya eğitimi içinde biyoçeşitliliğin yeri konusunda çalışmalar sınırlıdır. Biyoçeşitlilik; Türkiye’de Coğrafya Öğretim Programında sadece bir üniteye indirgenmesinden dolayı hak ettiği yeri almamıştır. Çünkü ortaöğretim coğrafya müfredatı incelendiğinde sadece 11.sınıfın 1.ünitesinde biyoçeşitliliğin yer aldığı görülmektedir. Aynı şekilde Coğrafya Öğretim Programında konuyla doğrudan ilgili yalnız bir kazanım yer almaktadır. Araştırmamızda nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden doküman analizi tekniği kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada biyoçeşitlilik konusunun ortaöğretim coğrafya öğretim programlarındaki yeri incelenmiştir. Bu çerçevede konu üzerine yayınlanmış akademik değeri olan dergi, makale, kitap ve istatistik verileri içeren raporlar gözden geçirilmiştir. Bu kapsamda internet ortamında yer alan yerli ve yabancı dilde yayınlanmış birçok kaynak taranmıştır. Sonuç olarak ülkemizin sahip olduğu biyoçeşitliliğin bütün toplum bakımından anlaşılması için öncelikle bu varlığının iyi bilinmesi ve özümsenmesi gerekir. Bu gerçekleştirildikten sonra, gelecek nesillere günümüzde var olan biyolojik çeşitliliğin aktarılması için çalışmaların attırılması önem kazanır. Bu konuda bilinç düzeyinin arttırılması için en önemli araçlardan biri coğrafya eğitimidir. Bu bağlamda ortaöğretim coğrafya müfredatında bu konuya farklı üniteler içinde yer alacak şekilde daha fazla yer ayrılması önemlidir.</p><p>&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0726/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</p>

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CLIFF PLANT COMMUNITIES OF THE TUAPKHAT MASSIF

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Krylenko ◽  
Sergey Krylenko
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Plant Associations ◽  
Black Sea Coast ◽  
Paper Structure ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
Main Factor

Preservation of biological diversity is necessary for sustainable development and rational use of coastal resources. In this paper structure of the cliff plant communities of the massif Tuapkhat (the Black Sea coast, Russia) are characterized. Flora of this coastal zone combines features of Mediterranean and middle European Russia types. Herbaceous and shrub life-forms and xeromorphous and petrophilous plant associations dominate at the studied area. The main factor determining the species composition of the examined communities is substrate character.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CLIFF PLANT COMMUNITIES OF THE TUAPKHAT MASSIF

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Krylenko ◽  
Sergey Krylenko
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Plant Associations ◽  
Black Sea Coast ◽  
Paper Structure ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
Main Factor

Preservation of biological diversity is necessary for sustainable development and rational use of coastal resources. In this paper structure of the cliff plant communities of the massif Tuapkhat (the Black Sea coast, Russia) are characterized. Flora of this coastal zone combines features of Mediterranean and middle European Russia types. Herbaceous and shrub life-forms and xeromorphous and petrophilous plant associations dominate at the studied area. The main factor determining the species composition of the examined communities is substrate character.

The Evolutionary Biology of Species

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy G. Barraclough
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Species Boundaries ◽  
Central Thesis ◽  
Species Accumulation ◽  
Multicellular Organisms ◽  
Broad Approach ◽  
Over Time

‘Species’ are central to understanding the origin and dynamics of biological diversity; explaining why lineages split into multiple distinct species is one of the main goals of evolutionary biology. However, the existence of species is often taken for granted, and precisely what is meant by species and whether they really exist as a pattern of nature has rarely been modelled or critically tested. This novel book presents a synthetic overview of the evolutionary biology of species, describing what species are, how they form, the consequences of species boundaries and diversity for evolution, and patterns of species accumulation over time. The central thesis is that species represent more than just a unit of taxonomy; they are a model of how diversity is structured as well as how groups of related organisms evolve. The author adopts an intentionally broad approach to consider what species constitute, both theoretically and empirically, and how we detect them, drawing on a wealth of examples from microbes to multicellular organisms.

Diversity of macrophytes in the Amazon deforestation arc: information on their distribution, life-forms and habits

Rodriguésia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Luísa Biondi Fares ◽  
Raimundo Luiz Morais de Sousa ◽  
Ely Simone Cajueiro Gurgel ◽  
André dos Santos Bragança Gil ◽  
Carlos Alberto Santos da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Aquatic Macrophytes ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Macrophyte Species ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Arc Of Deforestation ◽  
Northern Brazil ◽  
Suitable Habitats

Abstract The Amazon possesses the largest fluvial system on the planet, harboring a diverse biota. Still, many species remain undescribed, because of the Amazon’s immense scale and complexity, and because many habitats are now increasingly under pressure from anthropogenic activities. Macrophytes are important to physical and biological processes in aquatic ecosystems but remain poorly studied in Northern Brazil. The objective of this study was to provide a checklist of macrophyte species that occur in municipalities that form part of the Arc of Deforestation, Pará state, Brazil, bringing information on their habits and life-forms. We sampled 36 sites at three types of aquatic ecosystems (streams, ponds and lakes). In total, we recorded 50 species, 38 genera and 24 families. Most species were amphibious or emergent. Degraded streams have environmental characteristics similar to lentic habitats, which could provide more suitable habitats for macrophytes that otherwise would not occur in lotic habitats, thus explaining the higher diversity in these ecosystems. Macrophyte diversity in this region follows similar patterns to other Brazilian regions. This study contributes to the assessment of aquatic macrophytes in the Amazon, especially in more degraded regions, such as the Amazon deforestation arc.

scholarly journals The fractal nature of nature: power laws, ecological complexity and biodiversity

2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1421) ◽  
pp. 619-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Brown ◽  
Vijay K. Gupta ◽  
Bai-Lian Li ◽  
Bruce T. Milne ◽  
Carla Restrepo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Laws ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Fractal Nature ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ecological Complexity ◽  
Self Similar ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Diversity Of Life ◽  
Fundamental Physical

Underlying the diversity of life and the complexity of ecology is order that reflects the operation of fundamental physical and biological processes. Power laws describe empirical scaling relationships that are emergent quantitative features of biodiversity. These features are patterns of structure or dynamics that are self–similar or fractal–like over many orders of magnitude. Power laws allow extrapolation and prediction over a wide range of scales. Some appear to be universal, occurring in virtually all taxa of organisms and types of environments. They offer clues to underlying mechanisms that powerfully constrain biodiversity. We describe recent progress and future prospects for understanding the mechanisms that generate these power laws, and for explaining the diversity of species and complexity of ecosystems in terms of fundamental principles of physical and biological science.

scholarly journals The Biogeochemistry from the Oligotrophic to the Ultraoligotrophic Mediterranean (BOUM) experiment

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 8091-8160 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Moutin ◽  
F. Van Wambeke ◽  
L. Prieur
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Biogenic Elements ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
First Order ◽  
Biogeochemical Fluxes ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Trophic Network ◽  
Anticyclonic Eddies

Abstract. The overall goal of the BOUM (Biogeochemistry from the Oligotrophic to the Ultraoligotrophic Mediterranean) experiment was to obtain a better representation of the interactions between planktonic organisms and the cycle of biogenic elements in the Mediterranean Sea (MS), in the context of global climate change and, more particularly, on the role of the ocean in carbon sequestration through biological processes. The BOUM experiment was organized around three main objectives which are: (1) to give a longitudinal description of the biogeochemistry and the biological diversity of the MS during the strongest stratified period, (2) to study processes at the centre of three anticyclonic eddies, and (3) to obtain a representation of the main biogeochemical fluxes and the dynamics of the planktonic trophic network. The international BOUM cruise took place between 16 June and 20 July 2008, involved 32 scientists on board, and covered around 3000 km in the MS from the South of Cyprus to Marseilles (France). This paper describes in detail the objectives of the BOUM experiment, the implementation plan of the cruise, the water masses and general biogeochemical trends encountered, and lays particular emphasis on description of the sections and the main physical characteristics of the three anticyclonic eddies studied, before concluding with first order biogeochemical budgets and a general overview of the 24 other papers published in this special issue.

scholarly journals Florilegium of Fortunata Obrąpalska – iconography of biological diversity in natural phenomena

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Kalinowska
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Great Sensitivity ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
Plant Organs ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Natural Objects ◽  
Drawing Technique ◽  
Drawing Skills

Abstract Botanical drawings of Fortunata Obrąpalska are an unknown part of work of this eminent Polish artist photographer. In the special collections of the Library of Botanical Garden of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, there are 523 drawings of Fortunata Obrąpalska that she created in the years 1955-1983. The simple Bristol board ink drawing technique depicts in schematic, but at the same time perfect way, plants and natural phenomena like withering of underground plant organs, frost-damaged shoots or impact of wind on plants in coastal areas. The drawings are a proof of her excellent knowledge of natural objects, impressive drawing skills and imagination. They also show this artist’s great sensitivity to beauty.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Biogeochemistry from the Oligotrophic to the Ultraoligotrophic Mediterranean (BOUM) experiment

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3817-3825 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Moutin ◽  
F. Van Wambeke ◽  
L. Prieur
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Biogenic Elements ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Biogeochemical Fluxes ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Trophic Network ◽  
Anticyclonic Eddies

Abstract. The overall goal of the BOUM (Biogeochemistry from the Oligotrophic to the Ultraoligotrophic Mediterranean) experiment was to obtain a better representation of the interactions between planktonic organisms and the cycle of biogenic elements in the Mediterranean Sea (MS), in the context of global climate change and, more particularly, on the role of the ocean in carbon sequestration through biological processes. The BOUM experiment was organized around three main objectives: (1) to give a longitudinal description of the biogeochemistry and the biological diversity of the MS during the strongest stratified period, (2) to study processes at the centre of three anticyclonic eddies, and (3) to obtain a representation of the main biogeochemical fluxes and the dynamics of the planktonic trophic network. The international BOUM cruise took place between 16 June and 20 July 2008, involved 32 scientists on board, and covered around 3000 km in the MS from the south of Cyprus to Marseilles (France). This paper describes in detail the objectives of the BOUM experiment, the implementation plan of the cruise before giving an introduction of the 25 other papers published in this special issue.

Varieties of Secrets and Secret Varieties: The Case of Biotechnology

2000 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Wright ◽  
David A. Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court Decision ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Biological Weapons ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Agriculture Industry ◽  
Biological Weapons Convention ◽  
The U.S

This article examines several trends that have combined to veil the new field of biotechnology in secrecy: the transformation of biotechnology from an essentially academic field characterized by strong norms of openness to a field with extensive corporate connections that have reached even to research in leading universities; the establishment of intellectual property rights for life-forms initiated by the landmark Supreme Court decision, Diamond vs. Chakrabarty; and the limiting of public access to information about the genetically altered organisms whose use in agriculture, industry, and medicine falls under government controls. The article also examines the effects of the U.S. biotechnology industry's demand for secrecy on the negotiations for a protocol to the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, particularly the turn from requirements for transparency to protection of opacity with respect to biotechnology and other biological processes, equipment, and production.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document