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Humboldt, Biogeography, and the Dimension of Time

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Alexander von Humboldt

Abstract

In the nineteenth century, Alexander von Humboldt and Alfred Russel Wallace laid out the basis for the field of biogeography, the discipline that studies the relation between organisms and their geographic distribution. Almost in parallel with the birth of biogeography, the foundations of geology were laid out, providing a dimension of time to spatial changes of the landscape. In this paper, we review the historical context of the early biogeographers and explore what the lasting significance of the nineteenth-century holistic research approach is in present research. We also discuss the historical context in which biogeography and geology developed, and how the concept of deep time, plate tectonics, and mountain building provided a broader perspective to biogeography. To illustrate the benefits of integrating geological and biological methods, we focus on the genesis and chronology of the elevational gradient, core to Humboldt’s work. In particular, we use as example the evolution of two mountain systems, the Andes in South America, and the Tibet-Himalaya-Hengduan region in Asia. We conclude that in the nineteenth century, an interdisciplinary approach and progress in the different scientific fields led to a paradigm shift in the understanding of drivers of biogeography. Implementing such integrative vision today, and aided by advances in molecular phylogenetics and geology, has enabled biogeographers to form new, and more accurate, models of mountain building, climate, and species evolution. These models are particularly relevant in view of present scenarios of climate change and conservation strategies.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to Gabriele Rada (iDiv, Halle-Jena-Leipzig) for her work on the figures. We also are deeply grateful to Gregor Falk, Simon Schneider, and Manfred Strecker for inviting us to contribute to this special volume dedicated to the memory of Alexander von Humboldt. We also acknowledge constructive comments from Kärin Nickelsen (LMU, Munich), Susanne Renner (WU, St. Louis), Henry Hooghiemstra (UvA, Amsterdam), Salomon Kroonenberg (TU, Delft), and an anonymous reviewer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Carina Hoorn

  2. Department of Molecular Evolution and Plant Systematics and Herbarium (LZ), Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Jana Ebersbach & Alexandra Muellner-Riehl

  3. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Alexandra Muellner-Riehl

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  1. Carina Hoorn
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Correspondence to Carina Hoorn .

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  1. Institute of Geography, University of Education Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Gregor C. Falk

  2. Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, Universitat Potsdam, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

    Manfred R. Strecker

  3. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics/Forum der Geowissenschaften, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany

    Simon Schneider

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Hoorn, C., Ebersbach, J., Muellner-Riehl, A. (2022). Humboldt, Biogeography, and the Dimension of Time. In: Falk, G.C., Strecker, M.R., Schneider, S. (eds) Alexander von Humboldt. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94008-9_3

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