A review of transition zones in biogeographical classification

Abstract

Transition zones are problematic in biogeographical classification as they represent artificial biotic areas. A review of transition zones into existing biogeographical classifications shows conflicting area taxonomies. While many authors consider transition zones as overlap zones or areas of biotic mixing, only a few have considered excluding them from biogeographical classification all together. One way of incorporating transition zones into a natural classification is by treating them as artefacts of geographically overlapping temporally disjunct biotic areas. In doing so, geographically overlapping biotic areas may occupy the same space but have different boundaries and histories. Temporally disjunct areas do form natural hierarchical classifications, as seen in the paleobiogeographical literature. A revision of each transition zone will determine whether they are artificial areas, areas within their own right or potentially geographically overlapping temporally disjunct regions.

Love is in the air and beyond the ocean: Taxonomic review ofNeotrogaspidiaLelej (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae: Trogaspidiini) in Northeast Asia highlights its unique distributional pattern

“…In this realm, N. elpinice is restricted to southern China, and the geographic range of this species is congruent with the Chinese transition zone in the strict sense (Procheş & Ramdhani 2012; Morrone 2015; He et al . 2017; Hermogenes De Mendonça & Ebach 2020). Neotrogaspidia pustulata has more island‐biased distribution, covering most groups of Japanese islands and the Korean Peninsula.…”

Filogeografía de Tigridia durangensis (Tigridieae: Iridaceae), una especie endémica de la Zona de Transición Mexicana

“…Esta riqueza ha sido ocasionada por la estructura geológica compleja, la topografía accidentada y la diversidad de climas (Mastretta-Yanes et al 2015). El país se localiza entre los límites de las regiones Neártica y Neotropical (Hermogenes De Mendonça & Ebach 2020). Su combinación a lo largo de las principales cadenas montañosas del país forma la Zona de Transición Mexicana (ZTM, Halffter 1987, Halffter & Morrone 2017, Hermogenes De Mendonça & Ebach 2020.…”

“…El país se localiza entre los límites de las regiones Neártica y Neotropical (Hermogenes De Mendonça & Ebach 2020). Su combinación a lo largo de las principales cadenas montañosas del país forma la Zona de Transición Mexicana (ZTM, Halffter 1987, Halffter & Morrone 2017, Hermogenes De Mendonça & Ebach 2020. La ZTM es un conjunto de provincias morfotectónicas y fisiográficas con edades y orígenes distintos (Ferrusquía-Villafranca 1993, Mastretta-Yanes et al 2015.…”

Evolutionary history and patterns of divergence in three tropical east Asian squirrels across the Isthmus of Kra

“…The description of faunal assemblage transitions in tropical east Asia was foundational to the field of biogeography (Müller, 1846; Wallace, 1860). Ever since, much effort has been spent delineating biogeographic regions, subregions, and transition zones, while the evolutionary mechanisms underlying their generation and maintenance have received less attention (Ali & Heaney, 2021; Hermogenes De Mendonça & Ebach, 2020; Holt et al, 2013; Kreft & Jetz, 2010).…”