biota

American  

[bahy-oh-tuh] / baɪˈoʊ tə /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the animals, plants, fungi, etc., of a region or period.

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biota British  

/ baɪˈəʊtə /

noun

1. the plant and animal life of a particular region or period

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biota Scientific  

/ bī-ō′tə /

1. The organisms of a specific region or period considered as a group.

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Etymology

Origin of biota

1900–05; < New Latin , from Greek biotḗ “life”

Example Sentences

This means the fossils -- dubbed the Huayuan biota after the county where they were found -- "open a new window into what happened," he added.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

This time the issue was much simpler — as the authors themselves wrote, “the discovery emphasizes that terrestrial biota can rapidly colonize extraterrestrial specimens even given contamination control precautions.”

From Salon • Nov. 24, 2024

And when emoji biota are limited, the ecologists argue in a new paper, so is the scope of the natural world that we can talk about, advocate for and ultimately protect.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2023

Consequently, polar environmental and ecological processes are intimately connected with our everyday life and our planet's health, much of which is underpinned by the endemic biota, from viruses to large animals.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2023

However, it turns out that New Guinea’s biota suffered from three severe limitations.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond