ecotype

[ ek-uh-tahyp, ee-kuh- ]

noun

, Ecology.

1. a subspecies or race that is especially adapted to a particular set of environmental conditions.

ecotype

/ ˈiːkəˌtaɪp; ˈɛkə-; ˌɛkə-; ˌiːkəˈtɪpɪk /

noun

1. ecology a group of organisms within a species that is adapted to particular environmental conditions and therefore exhibits behavioural, structural, or physiological differences from other members of the species

ecotype

/ ē′kə-tīp′ /

1. A subdivision of an ecospecies, comparable to a subspecies or geographic race and consisting of an isolated population selectively adapted to a particular set of environmental conditions.

Derived Forms

• ecotypic, adjective
• ˌecoˈtypically, adverb

Other Words From

• ec·o·typ·ic [ek-, uh, -, tip, -ik, ee-k, uh, -], adjective
• eco·typi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecotype¹

First recorded in 1920–25; eco- + type

Example Sentences

One ecotype, known as transient killer whales, specialize in hunting marine mammals.

From Science Daily

This ecotype can be divided into two groups -- inner coast whales that feed in shallow coastal waters, and outer coast whales that hunt in deep water -- but relatively little is known about the outer coast whales.

From Science Daily

You can drill down further to where the plants are sourced, or their ecotype, by asking where the nursery bought their stock.

From Seattle Times

Transient orcas, the most common ecotype of killer whales in the North Pacific, hunt pinnipeds — marine mammals with flippers, such as sea lions and harbor seals.

From Los Angeles Times

A lot of our foods do that — salmon is a great example of just being an ecotype in and of itself, its own force that goes in and out of different environments, and returns to ancestral rivers, and gives its life for the health of the land.

From Seattle Times