Question

The naturalist and father of zoogeography Alfred Russel Wallace noted a distinct difference in the fauna between several islands in the Malay Archipelago (present-day Indonesia).He used these differences to delineate the boundary between the Australian and Oriental biogeographic realms.Which of the following best describes the reason for these differences?
A) Aboriginal tribes in Australia have greatly altered the fauna of Australia relative to the Oriental realm.
B) A deep ocean barrier inhibited dispersal between the two realms.
C) The environments of Australia and Asia are completely different,despite their relative close proximity.
D) Asia and European traders interacted for centuries prior to Wallace's discovery.Among the results of this interaction was an exchange of European (Palearctic)fauna and Oriental fauna.

Answer 1

The correct answer is Option C) The environments of Australia and Asia are completely different, despite their relative close proximity.

The naturalist and father of zoo - geography Alfred Russel Wallace noted a distinct difference in the fauna between several islands in the Malay Archipelago (present-day Indonesia). He used these differences to delineate the boundary between the Australian and Oriental biogeographic realms. The reason behind this difference is that the environments of Australia and Asia are completely different, despite they are in a very close proximity relatively.

Why is the environment of Australia and Asia different?

The Wallace line is a boundary line drawn by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on the basis of difference in fauna in the year 1859 between Asia and Australia. The reason and the root cause behind this faunal distinction is that the ancient supercontinent named Gondwana was separated entirely from other parts of the world when Pangaea broke up. The current Australia and the smaller islands were a part of Gondwana and this is why their fauna is so different from that of South - East Asia, even if they are very close together relatively.

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