From the Foundations to the Frontiers

This chapter reviews the foundations and frontiers of biogeography. It explains that the long and distinguished history of biogeography is tightly interwoven with that of ecology and evolutionary biology. Knowledge of the patterns seen in the geography of nature and causal explanations of the processes responsible for them accumulated and matured into what we know as the science of biogeography. The chapter highlights that some of the most effective strategies for conserving the Earth's biological diversity will continue to rely on insights from biogeographers. It mentions how the expanding store of information and arsenal of analytical tools proved to be invaluable for reconstructing the Earth's geological and environmental dynamics and the biotas' evolutionary histories.