ZOOGEOGRAPHY:

Zoogeography is the branch of the science of biogeography that is

concerned with the geographic distribution of animal species and their
attributes. That makes Zoogeography the study of patterns of biodiversity
regarding time and space.

BRANCHES OF ZOOGEOGRAPHY:
Zoogeography is often divided into the following main branches:
 Ecological Zoogeography.
 Historical Zoogeography.
 Applied zoogeography.
 Casual zoogeography.
 Faunistic zoogeography.

1. ECOLOGICAL ZOOGEOGRAPHY:
It attempts to understand and determine the role of the present biotic
and abiotic interactions that affect the distribution of a particular group of
animals.
The scale of analysis of ecological zoogeography, is generally smaller in
time and space. It often looks at species, or populations, rather than
larger taxonomical units, and is more concerned with shorter times and
intracontinental, landscape or habitat scales.
Ecological zoogeography looks at how abiotic and biotic forces can
shape, or influence, a species’ range, species replacements along
altitudinal or latitudinal gradients, species richness in different habitats,
etc.
2. HISTORICAL ZOOGEOGRAPHY:
It is concerened with the determining and understanding the
origin,extinction,and dispersal of a particular group of animals.
It aims to understand the past distribution of animas that led to their
present day pattern.
Thus,it encompasses and makes use of geography,geological
history,evolutionary theories,physiography and climate in their study.
Historical zoogeography examines long-term processes, taking place
over evolutionary or geological times, in often large geographical areas,
concerning large taxonomical groups or taxa that are now extinct.
The historical factors leading to the current distribution of a certain
taxon, its history of radiation and colonization, the identification of the
taxon’s closest relatives and the analysis of their occurrence all form
aspects analyzed by historical zoogeographers.
In most cases their interpretation would be impossible if long-term
processes such as continental drift or the alternation of glacial and
interglacial phases were not taken into account.
According to the Alfred Russel Wallace who deserves to be regarded as
the father of zoogeography:
“The Geographical Distribution of Animals, With a Study of the
Relations of Living and Extinct Faunas as Elucidating the Past Changes of
the Earth's Surface”.
3. APPLIED ZOOGEOGRAPHY:
The applications of zoogeography for manangment and
conservation of biota, communities , and ecosystem is called
applied zoogeography.
Applied zoogeography has had a very important role to play in
the development of understanding zoology .
We cannot make good decision about the conservation of
nature if we do not know what is there and where it is.
For example:
What is the location and distribution of species throughout the
world ? Where are the highest level of species richnes?
Conservation of wildlife and habitats is achieved in part by
establishment of various kind of protected area such as nature
reserves on land, rivers, lakes , and in the sea.
Where should nature reserves be located and why? How large
should they be? How should they be managed?
Applied zoogeography has played a major role in answering
these question which help us to understand the processes and
interections that have resulted in present distribution patterns
and the mechanism by which they are currently maintained. In
turn, that information can be usefull to reduce human impact
on the environment and can help us to use the environment in
a sustainable manner.
If we are to make the best uses of limited resources for
conservationwe must know much more about the geography
and ecology of the many kinds of biological diversity.
Development of computers, computing and information
technology has enabled new applications to occur in
zoogeography.
4. CASUAL ZOOGEOGRAPHY:
In casual zoogeography we seek the causes that are or have
been operative to bring about the type of animal distribution
actually found in present day faunas whether benthos, nekton,
or plankton.
In the earliest studies attempts were made to establish
arbitrary zoogeographic boundries along lines of latitude, and
so forth.
5. FAUNISTIC ZOOGEOGRAPHY:
The attempts to write an inventory of species on earth is called
faunistic zoogeography.
Scholars in faunistics compile lists of species constituting
specific faunas. The lists are analyzed, and the faunistic
elements characterized by a common distribution or origin are
identified.Thus,faunistics collects the factual material needed
to establish the zoogeographical regions of different ranks and
to determine the ranges of individual animal species.
Faunistics is sometime called descriptive zoogeography .This
designation is inexact because one of the objects of the
discipline is an analysis of faunas.
So,
It studies the animal species of the world and specific
geographical regions.