BIOGEOGRAPHY Literature review

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Review Paper/Project guideline

General information

The goal of this assignment is designed for you to conduct independent literature review/research project related to biogeography. The selection of research topic can be of your interest. Students are practicing skills in summarizing research that have been done and put forward research questions based on literature review focusing on a selected topic.

For literature review, papers should review a topic of interest from a conceptual point of view, i.e., there should be some issue or question involved, not just a summary of facts.

The review itself should focus on quality, not quantity. The students are expected to start with a defined and intriguing question, such as “why tundra plants can be found only in the Arctic and Alpine regions?” “What controls and limits bamboo growth?” or”invasive species and its implication to agriculture?” And find important related research that addresses this question. Another example question can be “Why giant panda become endemic in Sichuan Province, China” or “what makes killer whale a cosmopolitan species” or “Practical measures in minimizing land use impact on forest ecosystems and associated species”. These questions would be started to be answered by the features of their environment (temperature, precipitation etc.) or features of their adaptability (with respect to processes that control or affect their dispersal, adaption and extinction etc.), discussing how their habitat boundary being affected before and currently, and the implications of these research.

The literature review can normally run between 8-10 pages, including general background, description of species characteristics and its habitat, the dominant methodology used to address their research questions, and existing research questions and debates.

Please typewritten in double-spaced, 12-point font with one-inch margins (top, bottom, left and right). The pages need to be numbered.

This assignment is 20% of your final grade. Please start to prepare early and discuss with the instructor early with your questions and concerns.

Topics

Generally determined based on your interests and possible availability to observe during the field trip that will be scheduled later.

Scientific nomenclature

Proper Latin binomials (genus/species) should be used when identifying species (you may use common names alongside the Latin binomials), or you can use the common name with Latin binomials in parenthesis. All binomials should be italicized. The generic name must be

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capitalized, while the specific name is lowercase. For instance, the correct Latin binomial for reindeer is Rangifer tarandus, while the correct Latin binomial for douglas fir is Pseudotsuga menziesii. If it is clear which genus is being discussed, you may use the first initial of the generic name instead of spelling the complete name (e.g. the scientific name for the Bishop pine, Pinus muricata, may be written P. muricata if it appears multiple times in the text and it is unambiguous which genus is represented by the initial).

Figures and tables

All figures (tables, charts and images) can be embedded in the text where you cite in your text or be included at the end of the text. Only use relevant figures and number each figure and table.

Format for literature review

This is a formal literature review write-up. Sections can include: abstract, introduction, background, studies, and results.

Abstract: 3 points - Keep it brief! 7-10 sentences MAX!

Generally in the abstract, you’ll include an introduction statement which frames why the study or your research question is important (in a broad sense). Then describe/summarize the research you reviewed related to your research questions. In general how these studies were performed and what key findings were. Be as quantitative as possible. Finally summarize what you think the unresolved questions and future focus area can be & why it’s important.

Introduction: 4 points

This is the section you will establish the context for your literature review. How does each of the study/paper you chose relate to the bigger picture? [This is where you will need to take a holistic view of all papers with respect to the relationship of your questions and the selected papers you include] Why might someone care about your review? This is also where you need to cite outside references (use the three main references you found inspire you to ask your big question and go to the scientific literature and find a couple more relevant papers) and refer to these papers as you set up the context for your review.

The purpose of establish the context of your study is to lay a good foundation to present your review objectives and hypotheses (go from the broad topic to your specific review topic). Make sure you clearly state your research questions you are investigating in last several lines of your introduction.

Main body: 6 points

Here can be flexible in terms of how you frame your review. You could use 1) environment description; 2) species of interest description; 3) discuss about their dynamic boundaries and

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impacts of the boundaries; 4) dominant methodologies used in these studies that you reviewed; 5) their findings.

You could also use diagrams, figures as appropriate to compare these studies that you reviewed. * It is important to note that equations, diagrams and figures may NOT be necessary or appropriate for all methods sections, depending on what you decide to work on.

Discussion: 4 points- This is an important section!

In this section, you need to present your interpretation of all results from the studies that you reviewed in a holistic way- Return to your research questions. Do the results of their analyses provide evidences to answer your questions? In what way? Project importance and suggestions for improvement- Go back to broader picture. What future studies can be important?

Conclusion (summary): 2 points

Summarize the important findings and present your ideas for further, related research or questions.

References: 1 point

Journal articles:

Hohmann-Marriott, M. F. and R. E. Blankenship (2011). "Evolution of photosynthesis." Annual review of plant biology 62: 515-548.

Blankenship, R. E. (1992). "Origin and early evolution of photosynthesis." Photosynthesis Research 33(2): 91-111.

Book chapters:

Hoagland, B.W., I.H. Butler, F.L. Johnson, and S. Glenn. 1999. The cross timbers. In R.C. Anderson, J.S. Fralish, and J.M. Baskin (eds.), Savannas, Barrens, and Rock Outcrop Communities of North America. 231-245. Cambridge University Press.

Books:

MacArthur, R. H. (1967). The theory of island biogeography, Princeton University Press.