Skip to main content

Species’ habitats in relation to climate, evolution, migration and conservation

  • Conference paper
Past and Future Rapid Environmental Changes

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASII,volume 47))

  • 373 Accesses

Abstract

The theory of how organisms and species relate to their habitats is deeply relevant not only to the study of long-term evolution but also to future conservation efforts. A species’ habitat consists of resources which comprise physical variables such as temperature, light, substrate and inorganic ions, and biotic variables such as prey, including plants for herbivores, host organisms and mates. Although species may be flexible in the range of resources under which they can live, no species can live in all environments. The limits of species’ habitat specificities with respect to variables such as temperature, rainfall, substrate, food and vegetation cover, can in principle be estimated and quantified for living species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Darwin C (1859) On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. John Murray London

    Google Scholar 

  • deMenocal P, Bloemendal J (1995) Plio-Pleistocene subtropical African climate variability and the paleoenvironment of hominid evolution:a combined data-model approach, inVrba ES, Denton GH, Partridge TC, Burckle LH (eds) Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins, 262–288. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut

    Google Scholar 

  • Denton GH (1995) The problem of Antarctic Pliocene climate and ice-sheet evolution, inVrba ES, Denton GH, Partridge TC, Burckle LH (eds) Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins, 213–229. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudley JP (1990) A chronicle of extinction:the Knysna elephants Loxodonta africana africana. Abstract Proceedings of IV Intnl Cong Syst and Evol Biol, University of Maryland, College Park, July 1990

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupont LM, Leroy SA (1995) Steps towards drier climatic conditions in Northwestern Africa during the Upper Pliocene, inVrba ES, Denton GH, Partridge TC, Burckle LH (eds) Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins, 289–298. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut

    Google Scholar 

  • Gleick J (1987) Chaos. Making a New Science. Viking, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Greig JC (1979) Principles of genetic conservation in relation to wildlife management in Southern-Africa. S Afr Wildl Res 9:57–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurten B (1957) Mammal migrations. Cenozoic stratigraphy, and the age of Peking man and the australopithecines. J Paleontol 31:215–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Mandelbrot B, Laff A, Hubbard D (1979) Fractals and the rebirth of iteration theory, inMandelbrot B (ed) The Beauty of Fractals, 151–160. Academic Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall LG, Webb SD, Sepkoski JJ, Raup DM (1982) Mammalian evolution and the Great American Interchange. Science 215:1351–1357

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stanley SM (1979) Macroevolution:pattern and process. WH Freeman and Co, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas H (1984) Bovidae (Artiodactyla:Mammalia) du Miocene du Sous-Continent Indien, de la Peninsule Arabique et det I’Afrique, biostratigraphie, biogeographie et ecologie. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 45:251–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vrba ES (1985) Environment and evolution alternative causes of the temporal distribution of evolutionary events. S Afr J Sci 81:229–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Vrba ES (1987) Ecology in relation to speciation rates:some case histories of Miocene-recent mammal clades. Evolutionary Ecology 1:283–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vrba ES (1992) Mammals as a key to evolutionary theory. J Mamm 73:1–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vrba ES (1993) Turnover-pulses, the Red Queen, and related topics. Am J Sci 293-A:418–452

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vrba ES (1995a) On the connections between paleoclimate and evolution, inVrba ES, Denton GH, Partridge TC, Burckle LH (eds) Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins, 24–45. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut

    Google Scholar 

  • Vrba ES (1995b) The fossil record of African antelopes (Mammalia, Bovidae) in relation to human evolution and paleoclimate. inVrba ES, Denton GH, Partridge TC, Burckle LH (eds) Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins, 385–424. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut

    Google Scholar 

  • Vrba ES, Denton GH, Partridge TC, Burckle LH (eds) (1995) Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins, Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer-Verlag Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Vrba, E.S. (1997). Species’ habitats in relation to climate, evolution, migration and conservation. In: Huntley, B., Cramer, W., Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H.C., Allen, J.R.M. (eds) Past and Future Rapid Environmental Changes. NATO ASI Series, vol 47. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60599-4_22

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60599-4_22

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-61877-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-60599-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics