Ecoregion

Ecoregion is a term coined originally geoscientifically to disposition of the earth to Great rooms under different geo - or bio-ecological aspects. In this sense, it is defined as a " recurring pattern of ecosystems associated with characteristic combinations of soil and terrain forms and characterize a region."

Demarcation

An ecoregion is the nearest whole number below the ecozone or biogeographic other models. Ecoregions include relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic plant and animal communities. However, unlike the ecozone their extension is not geozonal ( erdumspannend ), but regional.

An ecoregion refers to regional vegetation types, which alone after their dominant plant formation - are named ( tundra of western Siberia, desert vegetation of the Middle East, etc. ) - ie by their outward appearance. Thus, the ecoregion is synonymous with the Eu - biome. Deviating from the ecoregion - term is also sometimes used to refer to regional floras - even the Faunenregionen. Such regions do not result by their outward appearance, but from a common geological history ( Central Siberian tundra, Central Asian northern desert etc ), which is expressed in their species composition. Occasionally, the floristisch-/faunistische and the formative approach are combined to expel ecoregions. This is particularly of nature conservation considerations of interest.

Colloquially, the term ecoregion is often used quite indiscriminately for all possible bio- geographical divisions. In the English-speaking world, the term " ecozones " partly used synonymously with " Ecoregions " and both continental limited " ecoregions ", as well as part of the global ecozones.

WWF " Ecoregions "

The WWF U.S. has made ​​an exemplary global division into 825 terrestrial ecoregions, which are broken in this model 14 " Major habitat types" (main biomes ). In 2000 published employee of the WWF a representation of 200 most vulnerable of these ecoregions under the title "Global 200 ". Moreover, but freshwater and marine ecoregions and ecozones were reported by similar criteria. This was a new approach, because so far the concept of biomes had been applied almost exclusively on terrestrial areas of the ecosphere. Worldwide, 426 ecoregions of fresh water and 232 ecoregions of the sea water in 12 determines realms. ecoregions of the deep sea have not yet been taken into account.