What is species distribution?
1 Answer
Species distribution is the manner in which a biological taxon is spacially arranged.
Explanation:
There are three basic types of species distribution within an area:
1) Uniform Species Distribution: in this form the species are evenly spaced. Uniform distributions are found in populations in which the distance between neighbouring individuals is maximised. Example - penguins often exhibit uniform spacing by aggressively defending their territory among their neighbours.
2) Random Species Distribution: this is the least common form of distribution in nature and occurs when the members of a given species are found in environments in which the position of each individual is independent of the other individual.
Example - when dandelion seeds are dispersed by wind , a random distribution occurs as the seedlings land in random places determined by uncontrollable factors.
3)Clumped Species Distribution: this the most common type of dispersion wherein the distance between neighbouring individuals is minimised.
Example - the bald eagles nest of eaglets exhibits a clumped distribution because all the offsprings are in a small subset of a survey area before they learn to fly.
The pattern of distribution is not permanent for each species. The distribution of species depends upon various biotic and abiotic factors. The distribution pattern can change seasonally, in response to the availability of resources and also depending upon the scale at which they are viewed. Various factors like speciation,extinction, continental drift, glaciation, variations of sea levels, river capture, and available resources are useful in understanding species distribution.
