The Geographical Distribution of Animals (Vol.1&2) (eBook)

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist whose prolific work and ideas were instrumental in the development of evolutionary theory. He is best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection, contemporaneously with Charles Darwin. Wallace's deep interest in biogeography led him to empirically formulate the Wallace Line, which demarcates the faunal differences between Asia and Australia. His magnum opus, 'The Geographical Distribution of Animals' (Vol.1&2), published in 1876, is a monumental work that provides a comprehensive account of the global distribution of animal life based on meticulous empirical observations and geographical classifications. His analysis delineated the patterns and factors influencing the distribution of animal species and was seminal in the establishment of zoogeography as a science. In this two-volume set, Wallace thoroughly examined the physical geography of each region, linking the distribution of animals to the geological history, illustrating the concept of continental drift's impact on species dispersal. Notably, Wallace is acknowledged for his insightful contributions to the theory of speciation and environmental influences on the survival of species. His extensive travels and observations furnished him with a vast array of specimens and an unparalleled knowledge of global biodiversity, thereby confirming his status as a foremost scientific intellect in the Victorian era.