WALLACE’S LINE:
BIOGEOGRAPHY & EVOLUTION

Name: ______

Read the article written by Jared Diamond, Mr. Wallace’s Line from the August 1997 issue of Discover magazine. The map comes from Song of the Dodo by David Quammen.

1. The article mentions six biogeographical realms or regions. In the blanks provided on the map, identify the two realms to the northwest and southeast of the Malay Archipelago.

2. The animals that characterize these two realms are quite different. Identify the general categories of mammals found in each, and give some common examples of the specific mammals and birds found in each.

3. Contrast the peoples of Borneo and New Guinea.

4. Contrast the forest communities of Borneo and New Guinea, making sure to including information on the trees, pollinating species, and species involved in seed dispersal (the fruit eaters).

5. Draw in “Wallace’s Line” on the map of the Malay Archipelago. Then, lightly and neatly use one color to highlight the islands to the west of this line.

6. Describe the geographical variable and the historical events most important in explaining the existence of “Wallace’s Line”.

7. Using the knowledge from your answer to the previous question and information contained in the lines existing on the map, hypothesize which of the islands east of Wallace’s Line are members of the Wallacea Islands, and use second color to highlight those islands. Use a third color to highlight the remaining islands.

8. What is the general character of the fauna (animals) inhabiting the Wallacea islands? Are the endemic animals Asian? Australian? What common characteristic unifies these animals?

9. Describe present and previous barriers are important to understanding the distribution of some species across the North American continent (Nearctic Realm).

10. Tim Flannery and Jonathan Kingdon hypothesize the importance of the Malay Archipelago in the development of modern humans. Describe their hypothesis.

11. How does the biogeography of the Malay Archipelago and the biogeographical realms support Darwin’s (and Wallace’s) theory of evolution by natural selection?