This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem, in the World Wildlife Fund classification scheme. There is also an attempt to use the term in a rank-less generalist sense, similar to the terms "biogeographic area" or "biogeographic unit".[1]
It may be conceptually similar to an ecoprovince.[2]
It is also differently used in the environmentalist context, being coined by Berg and Dasmann (1977).[3][4]
WWF bioregions
The WWF scheme further subdivides the ecozones into bioregions, defined as "geographic clusters of ecoregions that may span several habitat types, but have strong biogeographic affinities, particularly at taxonomic levels higher than the species level (genus, family)." The WWF bioregions are as follows:[citation needed]
- Afrotropic ecozone
- Antarctic ecozone
- Australasia ecozone[citation needed]
- Indomalaya ecozone[citation needed]
- Nearctic ecozone[citation needed]
- Canadian Shield
- Eastern North America
- Northern Mexico and Southwestern North America
- Western North America
- Neotropical ecozone[5]
- Oceania ecozone[citation needed]
- Palearctic ecozone[citation needed]
- Asia
- East Asia north of the Himalayan system's foothills to the arctic
- Central Asia - Iranian Plateau and north to the arctic.
- Temperate Asia biocountry
- Mongolian Plateau
- Eurasian Steppe
- Asian Russia (central)
- Asian-Siberian region
- Western Asia
- Arabian desert
- Mediterranean Near East (Roughly corresponds to the Levant)
- Anatolian Plateau
- Transcaucasia
- Northern Africa
- Atlantic coastal desert
- Sahara desert
- Mediterranean Maghreb
- Atlas montane
- Europe (Northern, Middle, Eastern, Southwestern, and Southeastern Europe biocountries) - Mediterranean to the arctic.
- European Mediterranean Basin
- Iberian Peninsula
- Balkan Peninsula
- North Caucasus
- Alps montane
- Carpathians
- Scandinavia
- European Russia
- Euro-Siberian region
- Macaronesia
- Asia
See also
References
- ^ Vilhena, D., Antonelli, A. (2015). A network approach for identifying and delimiting biogeographical regions. Nature Communications 6, 6848, [1].
- ^ http://www.ecozones.ca/english/levels.html
- ^ Berg, P. and Dasmann, R. (1977). Reinhabiting California. The Ecologist 7 (10): 399-401.
- ^ Miller, K. 1999. What is bioregional planning?. In: R. Crofts, E. Maltby, R. Smith and L. Maclean (eds). Integrated Planning: International Perspectives. Battleby, Scotland 7–9 April 1999: IUCN & Scottish Natural Heritage.
- ^ Dinerstein, E., Olson, D. Graham, D.J. et al. (1995). A Conservation Assessment of the Terrestrial Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean. World Bank, Washington DC., [2].
 | This ecology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This ecoregion article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about environmental habitats is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |