Patterns of Life

One Physical Foundations.- One The planetary and geological context of life.- General background.- Cratering.- Faulting.- Volcanism.- Gradation and landforms.- Isostatic adjustment of the crust.- Sea-floor spreading and continental drift.- Organic landforms.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Two The Earth, life, and energy cycles.- The Earth and energy cycles.- Cycles based on orbital changes.- The Moon and the Earth's tides.- Periodic extinctions of plants and animals.- Conclusions 35 Further reading.- Two Past Events and their Biogeographic Significance.- Three Evolution of the biosphere.- The evolution of the Earth's atmosphere.- Evolutionary relationships between organisms.- Biogeochemical pathways and the evolution of the atmosphere.- Physical evidence of the evolution of the Earth's biosphere.- Conclusions 57 Further reading.- Four Continental drift.- The development of the continental drift idea: the early hypothesis.- The modern theory of sea-floor spreading and plate tectonics.- Paleogeography: continental drift during the Phanerozoic.- The response of animals to continental movement and geomagnetic changes.- Plate tectonics and the pattern of life.- The continuing effect of continental drift.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Five Biogeographic patterns and ice age events.- Types of glaciers.- Causes of extensive glaciation.- Glacial climatology.- Reshaping the Earth's surface.- Biogeographic implications of glacial events.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Three Present Environments and Biogeographic Patterns.- Six The climatic environment.- Meteorological processes.- Mountain climates and biogeography.- The relationship between climate and vegetation.- Dynamic aspects of climate and biogeography.- Proxy data of climatic change.- Causes of climatic fluctuations.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Seven Marine and terrestrial environments.- The Earth'One Physical Foundations.- One The planetary and geological context of life.- General background.- Cratering.- Faulting.- Volcanism.- Gradation and landforms.- Isostatic adjustment of the crust.- Sea-floor spreading and continental drift.- Organic landforms.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Two The Earth, life, and energy cycles.- The Earth and energy cycles.- Cycles based on orbital changes.- The Moon and the Earth's tides.- Periodic extinctions of plants and animals.- Conclusions 35 Further reading.- Two Past Events and their Biogeographic Significance.- Three Evolution of the biosphere.- The evolution of the Earth's atmosphere.- Evolutionary relationships between organisms.- Biogeochemical pathways and the evolution of the atmosphere.- Physical evidence of the evolution of the Earth's biosphere.- Conclusions 57 Further reading.- Four Continental drift.- The development of the continental drift idea: the early hypothesis.- The modern theory of sea-floor spreading and plate tectonics.- Paleogeography: continental drift during the Phanerozoic.- The response of animals to continental movement and geomagnetic changes.- Plate tectonics and the pattern of life.- The continuing effect of continental drift.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Five Biogeographic patterns and ice age events.- Types of glaciers.- Causes of extensive glaciation.- Glacial climatology.- Reshaping the Earth's surface.- Biogeographic implications of glacial events.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Three Present Environments and Biogeographic Patterns.- Six The climatic environment.- Meteorological processes.- Mountain climates and biogeography.- The relationship between climate and vegetation.- Dynamic aspects of climate and biogeography.- Proxy data of climatic change.- Causes of climatic fluctuations.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Seven Marine and terrestrial environments.- The Earth's two major environments.- Soil as a major evolutionary development.- Productivity and structures of the marine environment.- Productivity and structural characteristics of terrestrial biosystems.- Interaction of marine and terrestrial systems.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Eight Freshwater environments.- The water cycle.- Streams.- Soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.- General characteristics of stream organisms.- Natural impoundments.- The estuary.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Nine Island environments.- The physical geographic setting of islands.- Biotic features of islands.- Characteristics of the patterns of island life.- Mountain tops, refugia, and other islands.- Evolutionary significance of islands.- Human disruption of islands.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Ten Environments linked through animal movements.- Skills and aids required for navigation.- Navigation feats of organisms.- The origin of flight.- Bird migration.- Insect migration.- Fish migrations.- Migration among mammals.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Eleven Organisms and environments integrated through coevolution.- The compartment and transfer model.- Plant-to-plant relationships.- Plant-soil relationships.- Plant-animal interactions.- Animal-animal relationships: predators and prey.- Animal-soil relationships: biogeochemical dynamos.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Four the Human Impact.- Twelve Fire as an old and new agent of change.- Attributes of humans and other animals.- Metabolism of animals and humans.- Evolution of fire as a human cultural tool.- Carbon dioxide.- Acid rain.- Nuclear winter.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Thirteen Man the maker and exterminator of plants and animals.- Human population growth.- Subsistence diet of the hunter and gatherer.- The plant diet and neolithic lifestyle.- Plant domestication.- The Columbian exchange.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Fourteen Biogeographic repercussions of the intensification of agriculture.- The North American prairie: grassland to grainfield.- The cultural evolution of till agriculture.- Industrialization of till agriculture.- The impact of agriculture on patterns of life.- Plant breeding: expanding the perplexity of mechanized agriculture.- Conclusions.- Further reading.- Fifteen The impact of urban-industrial development on patterns of life.- The impact of petroleum and petrochemicals.- Industrialization, urbanization, and population growth.- Final conclusions.- Further reading.- References

Biogeography · Biosphere · Context (archaeology · Continental drift · Earth science · Geologic record · Glacial period · Plate tectonics · Sea level · Tectonics · Ecology · Geology · Marine and environmental studies · Oceanography · Paleontology