Zoogeographic Provinces Exercise

Instructions: This exercise is based upon the data provided for mammalian families. Although the data represent only extant taxa and were compiled at a time before continental drift was recognized and accepted, some basic biogeographic patterns are revealed.

You will need an image of the physical geography of the continents, including their location and size (area). Print a copy of this exercise, including the data given below. Type your answers on a clean piece of paper and turn them into the instructor on the day they are due.

1. Compare the mammalian families that comprise each of the six Zoogeographic Provinces.
1. Three criteria of mammalian families or their distribution patterns are used to delineate the six regions known as Zoogeographic Provinces.

These are:

• The total number of families.
• The degree of endemism (the proportion of families that are endemic to region). This is a measure of uniqueness of the mammalian fauna.
• The number and location of other regions with which mammalian families are shared.
2. Rank the zoogeographic provinces in terms of each of the three criteria. Below each criterion list the provinces in order of descending rank as suggested by the chart below.

Rank	Criterion
	1. Total number of families	2. Proportion of families endemic to region	3. Number of regions sharing mammalian families
#1 (most)
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6 (least)

3. Note that the proportion of endemic families was used rather than the total number of endemic families. How would the ranking differ if the absolute number of endemic families was considered rather than the relative number? Why do you think the relative figure is a more important measure of the biogeographic nature of the regions?
2. Based on your rankings in part I-B, formulate three "Zoogeographic Rules" that relate taxonomic patterns to the physical geography (size, distance from other provinces, physical barriers, and the like) of the provinces themselves.

   Hint: model the sentence structure of your rules on the ecogeographic rules of Bergmann, Allen and Golger.

Synopsis of Zoogeographic Regions as they pertain to mammals

Below are some comparative data for the six zoogeographic regions. The total number of families and the number of endemic families pertain to all mammals, except bats. The number of families shared refers to those families found only in the respective two zoogeographic regions and excludes more widespread families like the Canidae, which has reached all continents except Antarctica (although entry into Australia is generally considered a result of its introduction by people and not natural dispersal processes).

PALEARCTIC ZOOGEOGRAPHIC PROVINCE

• 28 families total; 2 are endemic (the mole rats, and another rodent group, the seleviniids).
• 22 families shared with the Ethiopian
  19 families shared with the Oriental
  Many in common with the Nearctic (to the degree that the same genera and in some cases the very same species are found in both regions)

• 24 families total; 4 are endemic (pronghorn, mountain beaver, pocket gophers, pocket mice)
• Most are widely distributed, especially in the Palearctic
  4 families shared with the Neotropical, but each is represented in Nearctic by only one species (armadillo, opossum, porcupine, peccary)

• 32 families total; 16 are endemic (10 are caviomorph rodents; 3 are in the nearly endemic order Edentata-sloths, anteaters, and armadillos; 1 is a marsupial; and 2 are monkeys)
• 4 families shared with the Nearctic (each represented in the Nearctic by only one species)
  1 shared with the Palearctic (Camelidae), and
  1 shared with the Oriental (Tapiridae)

• 38 families; 12 endemic (including giraffes, hippopotamus; aardvark, elephant shrews, otter shrews, hyraxes, golden moles, and several rodents)
• 22 families shared with the Palearctic
  8 shared with the Oriental (in many cases the same genera are found in both regions)

• 30 families; 4 endemic families (2 primates-flying lemurs; tree shrews; hairy hedgehogs; spiny dormice)
• 1 endemic order (spiny dormice)
• 19 families shared with the Palearctic
  8 shared with the Ethiopian (e.g., elephants, rhinoceroses, great apes)
  1 shared with the Neotropical (Tapiridae)

• 9 families; 8 are endemic (6 are marsupials, 2 are monotremes-a subclass of mammals)
• the one non-endemic family is shared with the Palearctic (the only placental mammal, a mouse)