Biogeapraphy
- Sciences
- 300 level
- 2 credit units
- 113 pages
- 15 units
This course provides a general survey of plant and animal kingdoms, emphasizing similarities and differences. It explores diverse organismal forms, from simple to complex, and their external features and ecological adaptations. Students will familiarize themselves with various organisms in plant and animal kingdoms, focusing on their external features and ecological adaptation. The course also covers biogeographic regions, dispersal patterns, and relationships between vegetation, soil, and climate.
About this course
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Study hours
- 65 hours
- Maths
- None
- Content
- Theoretical
- Practical work
- No
- Assignments
- Tutor marked assessments
- Final examination
What you'll read
The real module and unit structure of BIO308, taken from the course material NOUN publishes.
One paragraph, so you can see how it reads
BIO308 · UNIT 1 Fundamentals of Biogeography and Ecosystem
This module introduces the concept of biogeography, broad classifications of flora and fauna into Tropical and Temperate Flora, mechanisms of dispersal of plants and animals and eventual colonization of new habitats. Biogeographic regions of the world are introduced in this module.
What you should be able to do
- Know the different floristic and zoogeographic regions of the world
- Compare tropical and temperate flora
- Understand the patterns of dispersal and colonization of land by plants and animals
- Describe the island biogeography
- Recognize relationships between vegetation, soil types and climate
What it prepares you for
- Conservation Biologist
- Environmental Consultant
- Wildlife Manager
- Ecologist
- Biogeographer
- Environmental Conservation
- Ecological Research
- Land Management
- Wildlife Preservation
- Climate Change Studies
Where it gets hard
The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.
- Module 1:
Unit 1: Fundamentals of Biogeography and Ecosystem
Understanding the complex interactions between organisms and their environment requires a strong foundation in ecological principles and geographical concepts.
- Module 2:
Unit 4: Australian kingdom and Antarctic Kingdom
Requires understanding of evolutionary history and geological events that shaped the distribution of species in these regions.
A suggested way through it
13 weeks, about 75 hours in total. Yours will differ.
- Week 1Module 1:
Unit 1: Fundamentals of Biogeography and Ecosystem · 5 hours
Define biogeography, its aims, and objectives.. Discuss the historical development of biogeography.. Explain the different types of biogeography..
- Week 2Module 1:
Unit 2: Tropical and Temperate Flora · 5 hours
Identify the geographical distribution of plants.. Distinguish between tropical and temperate regions.. Compare and contrast tropical and temperate flora..
- Week 3Module 1:
Unit 3: Dispersal and colonization of plants and animals · 5 hours
Understand the patterns of seed and animal dispersal.. Identify the agents of plant and animal dispersal.. Analyze factors affecting dispersal..
- Week 4Module 1:
Unit 4: Floristic Regions of the World · 5 hours
Identify the six floristic regions of the world.. Describe the subkingdoms and regions within each kingdom.. Understand the principles of phyto-geographical descriptions..
- Week 5Module 1:
Unit 5: Holarctic Kingdom · 5 hours
Describe the general nature of the Holarctic kingdom.. Identify subdivisions and regions within the Holarctic kingdom.. Recognize organisms endemic to the Holarctic kingdom..
- Week 6Module 2:
Unit 1: Paleotropical Kingdom · 5 hours
Describe the Paleotropical kingdom.. Explain the subkingdoms within the Paleotropical kingdom.. Discuss the origin of Paleotropical plant families..
- Week 7Module 2:
Unit 2: Neotropical Kingdom · 5 hours
Understand the general nature of the Neotropical kingdom.. Identify ecological regions within the Neotropical kingdom.. Recognize plants and animals endemic to the Neotropical kingdom..
- Week 8Module 2:
Unit 3 South African Kingdom · 5 hours
Describe the South African Kingdom and its location.. Identify endemic plants and animals within the floristic kingdom..
- Week 9Module 2:
Unit 4 Australian Kingdom and Antarctic Kingdom · 5 hours
Describe the Antarctic Kingdom.. Explain subkingdoms and regions within the Antarctic kingdom.. Recognize plants endemic to the region..
- Week 10Module 2:
Unit 5 Zoogeography · 5 hours
Understand zoogeographical regions of the world.. Explain the basics of zoogeography.. Describe Sclater's work on zoogeography and taxonomic relationships..
- Week 11Module 3:
Unit 1 Zoogeographical Regions · 5 hours
Understand the zoogeographical regions of the world.. Summarize the largest zoogeographic region and its subregions.. Provide examples of fauna in each region..
- Week 12Module 3:
Unit 2 Island Biogeography · 5 hours
Understand the concept of island biogeography.. Explain the theory of island biogeography.. List factors affecting island biogeography..
- Week 13Module 3:
Unit 3 Relationship Between Vegetation and Climate · 5 hours
Understand how climate affects vegetation.. Explain how vegetation affects climate.. Describe the climate-vegetation interaction in the Sahara/Sahel region..
Unit 4 Relationship Between Soil Type and Vegetation · 5 hours
Understand how soil type affects vegetation.. Explain the relationship between soil type and vegetation.. Describe soil as a limiting factor for vegetation..
Unit 5 Zoological migrations · 5 hours
Understand the concept of zoological migrations.. Explain long-distance dispersals.. Describe the dissemination process..
Preparing for the exam
- Create concept maps linking floristic regions to endemic species (Units 4-5)
- Review the mechanisms of plant and animal dispersal (Module 1, Unit 3)
- Compare and contrast tropical vs. temperate flora characteristics (Module 1, Unit 2)
- Focus on the key characteristics of each zoogeographic region (Module 3, Unit 1)
- Practice identifying biomes based on climate and vegetation descriptions (Module 3, Unit 3)
Questions students ask about this course
What is BIO308 about?
This course provides a general survey of plant and animal kingdoms, emphasizing similarities and differences. It explores diverse organismal forms, from simple to complex, and their external features and ecological adaptations. Students will familiarize themselves with various organisms in plant and animal kingdoms, focusing on their external features and ecological adaptation. The course also covers biogeographic regions, dispersal patterns, and relationships between vegetation, soil, and climate.
How many units does BIO308 have?
BIO308, Biogeapraphy, has 15 units across 3 modules, over 113 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.
How many credit units is BIO308?
BIO308 carries 2 credit units, at 300 level in Sciences.
Is BIO308 hard?
BIO308 is rated intermediate level, with no mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical work.
How long does BIO308 take to study?
About 65 hours of study, spread across its 15 units.
How is BIO308 assessed?
BIO308 is assessed by assignments, tutor marked assessments and final examination.
What can I do with BIO308?
Conservation Biologist, Environmental Consultant, Wildlife Manager, Ecologist and Biogeographer.