Review by Choice Review
Briggs (marine science, University of South Florida) has written numerous articles and books on zoogeography and biogeography. In this work he uses biological evidences as compared with geophysical data to reconstruct continental relationships of the past. The development of biogeography and its association with plate tectonic/continental drift theory is discussed in the introduction. The contents are divided into three major topics: The Northern Continents, The Southern Continents, and The Oceans, with a useful summary at the end of each. A brief concluding chapter ties together the book's full scope in a succinct yet informative manner that contrasts the biological with the geophysical data and its implications. Briggs tries to convey the fact that much work has yet to be done using biological data to interpret past geographical distributions of land and marine environments in light of the overwhelming amount of recently published geophysical material. The reading is easy but appears intimidating, owing to the few illustrations. An adequate index and ample supporting bibliography make this book an excellent reference work for the subject. It is best suited for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students in the disciplines of geology or biology. -B. D. Dod, Mercer University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
