Ecozones

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A region characterized by distinct ecological conditions and biota that influence the types of ecosystems found there
2. An area defined by its unique climate, vegetation, and wildlife that distinguishes it from other ecological regions
3. A geographic zone categorized by the specific ecological characteristics, species distribution, and environmental factors present in that location

Etymology: "Ecozone" is a compound built from two Greek-derived parts. The first, "eco-", comes from Ancient Greek "oikos", meaning "house" or "dwelling", which gave English words like "economy" (household management) and "ecology" (the study of organisms in their home environments). The second part, "zone", comes from Ancient Greek "zōnē", a belt or girdle, which passed into Latin as "zona" and then into English. The original image is literal: a band worn around the waist. Put together, the term joins the idea of a household with the idea of a belt or band, so an ecozone is a band of territory defined by the living things that share a dwelling place. The "zone" element reflects the older geographic habit of dividing the Earth into belts, such as the climate bands of the ancient Greeks, which is why the word suits a region marked off by its ecology. The "eco-" prefix is the same element that appears in "ecology", the term coined by the German zoologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866.

Synonyms: ecoregions, biomes, ecosystems, habitats, environmental zones