Biotope
- Pronunciation
- /by-toe-pe/
- Category
- Ecology
- Singular
- Biotope
- Plural
- Biotopes
Definition
An area of uniform environmental conditions occupied by a similar community. This term is most popular in Europe. It is essentially equivalent to habitat, but although habitat is often used in conjunction with populations, biotope is used to describe a community.
Etymology
From Greek 'bios', meaning 'life', and 'topos', meaning 'place'.
Example
The biotope of the Mediterranean region is characterized by drought-tolerant vegetation and fauna.