What term describes the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time?

The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time is referred to as biogeography. This scientific field examines how various factors, including climate, geography, evolution, and human activity, influence the distribution patterns of living organisms across different regions of the Earth. By investigating these patterns over time, biogeographers can understand the processes that have shaped the current distribution of biodiversity.

Ecology focuses broadly on interactions among organisms and their environment but does not specifically concentrate on the historical and geographical distribution aspects that biogeography covers. Anthropology is the study of humans, their cultures, and their development, which is unrelated to the distribution of species or ecosystems. Phylogenetics deals with the evolutionary relationships among various biological species based on genetic information, rather than their spatial and temporal distributions. Hence, biogeography is the most accurate term for this specific area of study.