Dictionary > Biogeographic realm

Biogeographic realm

Definition
noun, plural: biological realms
Any of the large spatial regions of the Earth’s land surface with ecosystems sharing similar biological evolutionary history and distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms
Supplement
Biogeographic realms are large spatial regions of the Earth’s land surface. Based on the original proposal of Philip Sclater and Alfred Wallace, the Earth’s land surface is divided into six biogeographic regions: Nearctic region, Palaearctic region, Neotropical region, Ethiopian region, Oriental region, and Australian region. At present, there are about eight realms recognized by the World Wildlife Fund and they are divided according to their ecosystems sharing similar biological evolutionary history and distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. These eight realms are as follows:

  • Nearctic realm – includes most of North America
  • Palaearctic realm – includes the bulk of Eurasian and North Africa
  • Neotropical realm – includes South America, Central America, and the Caribbean
  • Afrotropic realm – includes Trans-Saharan Africa and Arabia
  • Indomalayan realm – includes the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and southern China
  • Australasia realm – includes Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands
  • Oceanian realm – includes Polynesia (except New Zealand), Micronesia, and the Fijian Islands
  • Antarctic realm – includes Antarctica

Variant(s):

  • biogeographical realm

Synonym(s):

  • ecozone

See also:


You will also like...

squirrel
Animal Water Regulation

Animals adapt to their environment in aspects of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This tutorial will help you understa..

Plant Water Regulation
Plant Water Regulation

Plants need to regulate water in order to stay upright and structurally stable. Find out the different evolutionary adap..

Water Cycle
The Water Cycle

The water cycle (also referred to as the hydrological cycle) is a system of continuous transfer of water from the air, s..

Adaptation Tutorial
Adaptation Tutorial

Adaptation, in biology and ecology, refers to the process or trait through which organisms or the populations in a habit..

Plant biology
Plant Biology

Plantlife can be studied at a variety of levels, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, c..

Early Earth
The Origins of Life

This tutorial digs into the past to investigate the origins of life. The section is split into geological periods in the..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics