Z0005 Biogeography

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
RNDr. Jan Divíšek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
RNDr. Jan Divíšek, Ph.D.
Department of Geography – Earth Sciences Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: RNDr. Jan Divíšek, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Geography – Earth Sciences Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
KREDITY_MIN(40)
Successful completion of the course Introduction to Ecology and Nature Protection.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 7/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The main goal of this course is to provide students with a general knowledge in the field of biogeography and related disciplines.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will be able to:
- understand fundamental theories and concepts of biogeography
- know basic terms
- describe and explain factors and mechanisms influencing the distribution of species and their communities in space and time
- explain what is biological diversity, how can be measured and what factors influence it at different spatial scales
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to biogeography, relationships with other disciplines (ecology, evolutionary biology, phylogeography, macroecology, paleoecology), fundamental terms and concepts, history of biogeography.
  • 2. Environmental conditions and their effects on species distribution, niche theory, interspecific interactions, biogeographical rules.
  • 3. Evolutionary biogeography – micro- and macroevolution, speciation mechanisms (natural selection, adaptation, geographical variability etc.), types of speciation (allopatric, sympatric, peripatric, parapatric), numbers of species on Earth and global extinctions.
  • 4. Spread of organisms – mechanisms and types of spreading, barriers, migration, irruption, biotic interchanges.
  • 5. Species distribution – mapping species distributions (types of maps), areography, distribution types (zonal, disjunct, endemic, cosmopolitan, relicts, endemics), Rapoport's rule.
  • 6. Geography of communities – definition a delineation of communities, approaches by Clements and Gleason, global communities (biomes), local communities (vegetation types, habitats of the Czech Republic).
  • 7. Biodiversity – Alfa, Beta a Gamma diversity and their measurement, species-area relationship, latitudinal gradient of species richness, local species richness and underlying factors.
  • 8. Island biogeography – relationship between the size of island, isolation and species richness, Equilibrium theory of island biogeography, species turnover, oddities of insular biotas.
  • 9. Invasion ecology – fundamental theories and concepts, examples of well-known invasions, theory of invasibility, species richness vs. invasibility.
  • 10. Biogeographical regionalizations – delineation of biogeographical regions, biogeographical realms of the World and their characteristics, biogeographical regions of Europe and the Czech Republic.
  • 11. Historical biogeography – reconstructions of species postglacial spread, evolution of the landscape in the Central Europe, phylogeography.
Literature
    required literature
  • LOMOLINO, Mark V., Brett R. RIDDLE and James H. BROWN. Biogeography. 3rd ed. Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer Associates, 2006, xiii, 845. ISBN 0878930620. info
  • DIVÍŠEK, Jan and Martin CULEK. Biogeografie (Biogeography). 2., aktual. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2013. Elportál. ISBN 978-80-210-6801-8. URL info
  • TOWNSEND, Colin R., Michael BEGON and John L. HARPER. Základy ekologie. Translated by Martin Černý. 1. české vydání. Olomouc: Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, 2010, xii, 505. ISBN 9788024424781. info
    recommended literature
  • COX, C. Barry and Peter D. MOORE. Biogeography : an ecological and evolutionary approach. 6th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 1999, ix, 298. ISBN 086542778X. info
  • WHITTAKER, Robert H. Island biogeography : ecology, evolution and conservation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998, xi, 285. ISBN 0198500203. info
  • FRANKLIN, Janet and Jennifer A. MILLER. Mapping species distributions : spatial inference and prediction. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009, xviii, 320. ISBN 9780521700023. info
  • GASTON, Kevin J. and John I. SPICER. Biodiversity : an introduction. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004, xv, 191. ISBN 9781405118576. info
  • MORIN, Peter Jay. Community ecology. 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, x, 407. ISBN 9781405124119. info
  • GASTON, Kevin J. The structure and dynamics of geographic ranges. 1st pub. New York [N.Y.]: Oxford University Press, 2003, x, 266. ISBN 0198526415. info
  • Biological diversity : frontiers in measurement and assessment. Edited by Anne E. Magurran - Brian J. McGill. 1st pub. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, xvi, 345. ISBN 9780199580675. info
  • Invasion ecology. Edited by Julie L. Lockwood - Martha F. Hoopes - Michael P. Marchetti. 2nd ed. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013, 444 p. ISBN 9781118570838. info
  • CHYTRÝ, Milan, Tomáš KUČERA, Martin KOČÍ, Vít GRULICH, Pavel LUSTYK, Kateřina ŠUMBEROVÁ, Jiří SÁDLO, Zdenka NEUHÄUSLOVÁ, Michal HÁJEK, Kamil RYBNÍČEK, František KRAHULEC, Andrea KUČEROVÁ, Jiří KOLBEK and Štěpán HUSÁK. Katalog biotopů České republiky. Druhé vydání (Habitat catalogue of the Czech Republic. Second edition). 2nd ed. Praha: Agentura ochrany přírody a krajiny ČR, 2010, 445 pp. Katalog biotopů České republiky. ISBN 978-80-87457-02-3. URL info
  • CULEK, Martin, Vít GRULICH, Zdeněk LAŠTŮVKA and Jan DIVÍŠEK. Biogeografické regiony České republiky (Biogeographical regions of the Czech Republic). 1st ed. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2013, 448 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6693-9. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.5817/CZ.MUNI.M210-6693-2013. Munispace info
Teaching methods
Lectures with powerpoint presentations.
Assessment methods
The final exam will have a written form. Retake of the exam may be oral. Only students who completed the plant determination test will be allowed to take the exam. Details will be communicated with students at the beginning of the semester.
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Teacher's information
Seminars will be devoted to introducing students to the main sources of biogeographical data and the determination of selected plant species. The last seminars will be devoted to demonstration of herbarium specimens and one excursion in the surroundings of Brno (Velký Hornek National Reserve or Kamenný vrch National Reserve).
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 1999, Spring 2008 - for the purpose of the accreditation, Spring 2011 - only for the accreditation, Spring 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, spring 2012 - acreditation, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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