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

Moreover, this biota was once located very close to the South Pole, revealing the composition of Ordovician southernmost ecosystems.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 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

Thus, the limits on indigenous food production in New Guinea had nothing to do with New Guinea peoples, and everything with the New Guinea biota and environment.

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