In 1847, Karl Bergmann proposed that temperature gradients are the key to understanding geographic variation in the body sizes of warm‐blooded animals. Yet both the geographic patterns of body‐size variation and their underlying mechanisms remain controversial. Here, we conduct the first assemblage‐level global examination of ‘Bergmann’s rule’ within an entire animal class. We generate global maps of avian body size and demons...

Aim Using a global data base of the distribution of extant bird species, we examine the evidence for spatial variation in the evolutionary origins of contemporary avian diversity. In particular, we assess the possible role of the timing of mountain uplift in promoting diversification in different regions. Location Global. Methods We mapped the distribution of avian richness at four taxonomic levels on an equal‐area 1° grid. We...

Abalone populations have declined dramatically in southern California. The white abalone ( Haliotis sorenseni ) is now ( 2001) on the federal endangered species list. To aid in the restoration of white, pink ( H. corrugata ), and green abalone ( H. fulgens ), productive marine protected areas need to be selected. We used spatially explicit fishery data (1950–1995) to identify the most productive marine areas in southern Califo...