biotope

[ bahy-uh-tohp ]

noun

, Ecology.

1. a portion of a habitat characterized by uniformity in climate and distribution of biotic and abiotic components, as a tidal pool or a forest canopy.

biotope

/ ˈbaɪəˌtəʊp /

noun

1. ecology a small area, such as the bark of a tree, that supports its own distinctive community

biotope

/ bī′ə-tōp′ /

1. A usually small or well-defined area that is uniform in environmental conditions and in its distribution of animal and plant life.

Word History and Origins

Origin of biotope¹

1925–30; < German Biotop, equivalent to bio- bio- + Greek tópos place

Word History and Origins

Origin of biotope¹

C20: from bio- + Greek topos place

Example Sentences

And a century-plus seclusion from the world outside has turned the park into a fragile biotope with unique plants and animals that need protection.

From Washington Times

And a century-plus seclusion from the world outside has turned the park into a fragile biotope with unique plants and animals that need protection.

From Seattle Times

“The park is like this massive biotope with the Bearpit in the center,” said Alex Puell, president of the Friends of Mauerpark, a nonprofit association.

From New York Times

The term Lebensraum came into the German language as the equivalent of the French word biotope, or “habitat.”

From Slate

This is captured in an exhibition opening next week called "West:Berlin - an island looking for the mainland", portraying what curator Thomas Beutelschmidt says was a unique socio-economic, political and cultural "biotope" under the benign occupation of the Americans, French and British.

From Reuters