Simplify the following text for a Grade 10 native English-speaking person.
Original: The resulting hypotheses were an important impetus to the study of the geographical distribution of plants and animals , and indirectly spurred the emergence of biogeography in the 18th century .
Simplified: They were a driving force behind the study of the geographical distribution of plants and animals . They indirectly helped the development of biogeography in the 18th century .