Paleotropics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A biogeographical region encompassing tropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Oceania characterized by distinct flora and fauna; relating to the old-world tropics distinct from the neotropics; covering ecosystems such as rainforests, savannas, and mangroves in these continents
2. Denoting the tropical zones of the Eastern Hemisphere including Africa, Asia, and surrounding islands distinguished by unique biodiversity; referring to the ancient tropical regions opposite the New World tropics; comprising various tropical habitats like monsoon forests and coral reefs within these wide-ranging areas
3. Pertaining to the tropical environments found mainly in Africa, Asia, and Oceania with specific plant and animal species; signifying the old-world tropical belt contrasted with the American tropics; embracing ecosystems such as tropical rainforests and coastal wetlands across these territories

Etymology: "Paleotropics" is a plain compound: "paleo-", from Greek "palaios" meaning "old" or "ancient", joined to "tropics", the tropical zones. The prefix signals age, so the term means the old tropics, the ones in the Eastern Hemisphere. The contrast is with the "neotropics", the "new" tropics of the Americas. Biologists and geographers use the pair to mark a split that reflects how long these regions have been separated. Africa, Asia and the surrounding islands hold tropical life that developed in a landmass connected to the rest of the Old World for a very long time, while the Americas were isolated for much of the age of mammals, which is why the two sets of tropical habitats differ so much in their plants and animals. The word is a technical coinage built from classical roots, so it does not come from ancient Greek usage. Its meaning is fixed by the biogeographic regions it names, including monsoon forests and coral reefs in the Eastern Hemisphere.