Why do different species occur in the places they do? Biogeography is the study of why animal species (and also plants) live in different regions on Earth. This includes both organisms alive today as well as those that have become extinct. Any particular animal species is found where it is because that species either evolved and originated there or came there from some other place. The two divisions of biogeography reflect these two ways that animals come to occupy an area. Biogeography can be broken down into historical biogeography, which studies the past history and evolution of a species, and ecological biogeography, which studies the environment of a species.

Ecological Biogeography

Ecological biogeography studies how animal species are distributed in relation to the environment. The environment that influences what animals are present in a region includes both nonliving, abiotic factors (such as climate or soil composition) as well...