General Studies I · Subtopic
Biogeography
Official syllabus
Salient features of world’s physical geography.
UPSC CSE 2026 notification
What this covers
Biogeography studies the distribution of life across space and through time. Explain distributions through energy, temperature, water, soil, relief, disturbance, dispersal, evolution and human modification. Use the biome as a broad climatic-ecological unit while recognizing transition zones, local habitats and historical contingencies. Link patterns of natural vegetation and fauna to environmental controls without treating climate as the only cause.
Key ideas
- Species range habitat and niche
- Biome and ecotone
- Energy water and climatic controls
- Soil relief and altitude
- Dispersal isolation and evolution
- Disturbance succession and adaptation
- Terrestrial and aquatic distributions
- Human modification and conservation geography