refugium

[ ri-fyoo-jee-uhm ]

noun

, plural re·fu·gi·a [ri-, fyoo, -jee-, uh].

1. an area where special environmental circumstances have enabled a species or a community of species to survive after extinction in surrounding areas.

refugium

/ rɪˈfjuːdʒɪəm /

noun

1. a geographical region that has remained unaltered by a climatic change affecting surrounding regions and that therefore forms a haven for relict fauna and flora

Word History and Origins

Origin of refugium¹

From Latin, dating back to 1900–05; refuge

Word History and Origins

Origin of refugium¹

C20: Latin: refuge

Example Sentences

“We expected Italy to be a climate refugium, but there’s a sharp and complete turnover—it’s a big surprise,” Posth says.

From Science Magazine

“It’s interesting to think about whether sub-Saharan African foragers were mapping onto a kind of refugium model.”

From Science Magazine

“It’s populated with the right kind of prey for these cats and given its elevation and its latitude, it might provide an important climate refugium for the species in the future.”

From Seattle Times

The fact that these two animals lived near each other, geographically and chronologically, suggests that this region of Japan was a "refugium," or an area where animals can survive in times when conditions are unfavorable.

From Salon

The Siberian Arctic zone, a region above latitude 66 degrees North that lies north and west of western Beringia, has only recently emerged as another plausible candidate for a refugium during the LGM and thus a place where people from the Ancient East Asian and Ancient North Siberian groups might have come together.

From Scientific American