Geographic ranges of North American terrestrial mammals. American Museum novitates ; no. 2629

Abstract

"Existing theory on the geographic ranges occupied by species focuses on individual species, the density of species at different places, and not on the question as to what the size-distribution of the ranges of species in a larger fauna is or how this distribution may be explained. The ranges of North American terrestrial mammals are examined and a regular decline in the number of species having ranges in successively larger size-classes of ranges is found. The frequency distribution does not fit the lognormal or any of several other familiar distributions and further work is needed to develop a model that does fit. Other taxa and faunas should be examined also"--P. [1].