Biology of Australia and New Zealand, 1st edition

Published by Pearson (April 27, 1999) © 1999

  • Mike Augee
  • Marilyn Fox
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Biology of Australia and New Zealand is a supplement text designed to accompany the outstanding introductory Campbell Biology text by Neil Campbell. It offers students a solid conceptual overview of the factors that have contributed to Australia and New Zealand's geographical and biological uniqueness. It also provides students with a solid framework for thinking about and understanding the evolution of our bio-geographical distinctiveness.

Chapter 1: Biogeography of Australasia and New Zealand

  • History of Gondwana
  • Separation of India, Madagascar, Africa, New Zealand, South America, Australia & Antarctica
  • Stages of evolution of flowering plants and vertebrates
  • Resultant patterns - eg. Across Wallace's Line
  • Changes to global climate
  • Subsequent radiation of some groups, extinctions
  • Link to Pleistocene glaciations
  • Radiation and convergence
  • Latitudinal patterns

Chapter 2: Endemic Animals

  • Founders and immigrants
  • Remnant Gondwana distributions
  • Centres of endemism
  • Evolution in isolation
  • Unique adaptations in the Australia desert

Chapter 3: Endemic Plants

  • Lichens, mosses and liverworts
  • Gymnosperms
  • Angiosperms
  • Principal families
  • Endemic communities
  • Levels of endemism

Chapter 4: Human Impact

  • Pre-human environment
  • Arrival of people
  • Time of arrival of people in Australia compared to New Zealand
  • Impact of Aboriginal people in Australia- introductions, megafaunal extinctions, alteration of fire regimes
  • Arrival of European settlers
  • Introduction and habitat alterations
  • Conservation imperatives- terrestrial and marine
  • "Return of the native"- whales and other marine mammals, numbats
  • Global climate change
  • The likely future- ongoing global change- more of the same or catastrophe?

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