An ecoregion (ecological region), sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or "ecozone". Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns Ecoregions cover relatively large area of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities and species. In Ecology, a community is an assemblage of Populations of different Species, interacting with one another In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tend to be distinct from that of other ecoregions. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. In Botany, flora ( Plural: floras or florae has two meanings The first meaning flora of an area or of time period, refers to all Fauna is all of the Animal life of any particular region or time An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical (
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Definitions
The definition of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) is widely used:
A large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities that:
- (a) share a large majority of their species and ecological dynamics;
- (b) share similar environmental conditions, and;
- (c) interact ecologically in ways that are critical for their long-term persistence. [1]
According to WWF, the boundaries of an ecoregion approximate the original extent of the natural communities prior to any major recent disruptions or changes. WWF has identified 825 terrestrial ecoregions, and approximately 450 freshwater ecoregions across the Earth. Another way of defining an ecoregion is as a "recurring pattern of ecosystems associated with characteristic combinations of soil and landform that characterise that region" (Brunckhorst, 2000). Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel Others have defined ecoregions as areas of ecological potential based on combinations of biophysical parameters such as climate and topography. Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of Topography ( topo-, "place" and graphia, "writing" is the study of Earth 's Surface features or those of Planets
Importance
The use of the term ecoregion is an outgrowth of a surge of interest in ecosystems and their functioning. In particular, there is awareness of issues relating to spatial scale in the study and management of landscapes. Landscape ecology is the science and art of studying and improving the relationship between spatial pattern and ecological processes on a multitude of scales and organizational levels (Wu 2006 2008 It is widely recognized that interlinked ecosystems combine to form a whole that is "greater than the sum of its parts. " There are many attempts to respond to ecosystems in an integrated way to achieve "multi-functional" landscapes, and various interest groups from agricultural researchers to conservationists are using the "ecoregion" as a unit of analysis. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The conservation movement also known as nature conservation is a political social and to some extent scientific movement that seeks to protect natural resources including
The "Global 200" is the list of ecoregions identified by WWF as priorities for conservation. "Conservation Biology" redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Conservation Biology (journal.
Ecologically-based movements like bioregionalism maintain that ecoregions, rather than arbitrarily-defined political boundaries, provide a better foundation for the formation and governance of human communities, and have proposed ecoregions and watersheds as the basis for bioregional democracy initiatives. Bioregionalism is a term used to describe a political cultural and environmental system based on naturally-defined areas called bioregions or Ecoregions Bioregions are defined A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, Bioregionalism is a term used to describe a political cultural and environmental system based on naturally-defined areas called bioregions or Ecoregions Bioregions are defined
Terrestrial ecoregions
Terrestrial ecoregions are land ecoregions, as distinct from freshwater and marine ecoregions. In this context, terrestrial is used to mean "of land" (soil and rock), rather than the more general sense "of Earth" (which includes land and oceans). EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001
WWF ecologists currently divide the land surface of the Earth into 8 major ecozones containing 867 smaller terrestrial ecoregions (see list). Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns The WWF effort is a synthesis of many previous efforts to define and classify ecoregions. Many consider this classification to be quite decisive, and some propose these as stable borders for bioregional democracy initiatives. Bioregionalism is a term used to describe a political cultural and environmental system based on naturally-defined areas called bioregions or Ecoregions Bioregions are defined
The eight terrestrial ecozones follow the major floral and faunal boundaries, identified by botanists and zoologists, that separate the world's major plant and animal communities. Ecozone boundaries generally follow continental boundaries, or major barriers to plant and animal distribution, like the Himalayas and the Sahara. A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest The boundaries of ecoregions are often not as decisive or well recognized, and are subject to greater disagreement.
Ecoregions are classified by biome type, which are the major global plant communities determined by rainfall and climate. A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar climatic conditions such as communities of Plants Animals and Forests, grasslands (including savanna and shrubland), and deserts (including xeric shrublands) are distinguished by climate (tropical and subtropical vs. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of temperate and boreal climates) and, for forests, by whether the trees are predominantly conifers (gymnosperms), or whether they are predominantly broadleaf (Angiosperms) and mixed (broadleaf and conifer). Gymnosperm (Gymnospermae are a group of Spermatophyte seed-bearing Plants with Ovules on the edge or blade of an open Sporophyll, which are The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Biome types like Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub, tundra, and mangroves host very distinct ecological communities, and are recognized as distinct biome types as well. Mediterranean forests woodlands and shrub is a temperate Biome, characterized by hot dry summers and mild and rainy winters In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons Mangroves (generally are Trees and Shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the Tropics and Subtropics.
Marine ecoregions
Marine ecoregions are regions of the world's oceans, as defined by WWF to aid in conservation activities for marine ecosystems. "Conservation Biology" redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Conservation Biology (journal. Marine is an Umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the Sea or Ocean, such as Marine biology, Marine An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical (
The scheme used to designate and classify marine ecoregions is analogous to that used for terrestrial ecoregions. Major habitat types are identified: polar, temperate shelves and seas, temperate upwelling, tropical upwelling, tropical coral, pelagic (trades and westerlies), abyssal, and hadal (ocean trench. These correspond to the terrestrial biomes. A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar climatic conditions such as communities of Plants Animals and Major biogeographic realms, analogous to the seven terrestrial ecozones, represent large regions of the ocean basins: North Temperate Atlantic, Eastern Tropical Atlantic, Western Tropical Atlantic, South Temperate Atlantic, North Temperate Indo-Pacific, Central Indo-Pacific, Eastern Indo-Pacific, Western Indo-Pacific, South Temperate Indo-Pacific, Southern Ocean, Antarctic, Arctic, and Mediterranean. An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns
The classification of Marine ecoregions is not developed to the same level of detail and comprehensiveness as that of the terrestrial ecoregions; only the priority conservation areas of the Global 200 are listed. The Global 200 is the list of Ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF as priorities for conservation
See Global 200 Marine ecoregions for a full list of marine ecoregions (World Wildlife Fund). The Global 200 is the list of Ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF as priorities for conservation
A similar system of identifying areas of the oceans for conservation purposes is the system of large marine ecosystems (LMEs), developed by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Large marine ecosystem s (LMEs are regions of the world's Oceans encompassing coastal areas from river basins and estuaries to the seaward boundaries of continental The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the
Freshwater ecoregions
Freshwater ecoregions are the freshwater habitats of a particular geographic area, including rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there A stream is a body of Water with a current, confined within a bed and stream-banks A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the A wetland is an area of Land consisting of Soil that is Saturated with Moisture, such as a Swamp, Marsh, or Bog Freshwater ecoregions are distinct from terrestrial ecoregions, which identify biotic communities of the land, and marine ecoregions, which are biotic communities of the oceans.
WWF identifies seven major habitat types of freshwater ecoregions: Large rivers, large river headwaters, large river deltas, small rivers, large lakes, small lakes, and xeric basins.
Several freshwater ecoregions are listed in the Global 200, the WWF's priority ecoregions for conservation of biodiversity. The Global 200 is the list of Ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF as priorities for conservation Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth.
See also
- Ecological land classification
- Ecozone
- Ecotope
- Biome
- Habitat
- List of biogeographic provinces
- Bioregionalism
- List of ecoregions
- Lists of ecoregions by country
- Global 200
- Biosphere reserve
- World Network of Biosphere Reserves
- Aquatic ecosystem
Sources
- Brunckhorst, D. Ecological land classification is defined as being a cartographical delineation of distinct ecological areas identified by their Geology, Topography An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns Ecotopes are the smallest ecologically-distinct Landscape features in a landscape mapping and classification system A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar climatic conditions such as communities of Plants Animals and A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. The following list of Biogeographic provinces was developed by Miklos Udvardy in 1975 Bioregionalism is a term used to describe a political cultural and environmental system based on naturally-defined areas called bioregions or Ecoregions Bioregions are defined A List of ecoregions in Afghanistan List of ecoregions in Albania List of ecoregions in Algeria The Global 200 is the list of Ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF as priorities for conservation A biosphere reserve is an international Conservation designation given by UNESCO under its Programme on The World Network of Biosphere Reserves was established at the International Conference on Biosphere Reserves in Seville in 1995. An aquatic ecosystem is an Ecosystem located in water bodies. 2000. Bioregional planning: resource management beyond the new millennium. Harwood Academic Publishers: Sydney, Australia.
- Busch, D. E. and J. C. Trexler. eds. 2003. Monitoring Ecosystems: Interdisciplinary approaches for evaluating ecoregional initiatives. Island Press. 447 pages.
External links
- World Wildlife Fund: ecoregions
- Sierra club: ecoregions
- Activist network cultivating Ecoregions/Bioregions
- A National Ecological Framework for Canada
- Ecoregions of North America
- Interactive map and images of North American ecoregions at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
- Map of the ecozones
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