ecotone

American  

[ek-uh-tohn, ee-kuh-] / ˈɛk əˌtoʊn, ˈi kə- /

noun

Ecology.

1. the transition zone between two different plant communities, as that between forest and prairie.

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ecotone British  

/ ˈɛkə-, ˈiːkəˌtəʊn /

noun

1. the zone between two major ecological communities

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ecotone Scientific  

/ ē′kə-tōn′ /

1. A transitional zone between two ecological communities, as between a forest and grassland or a river and its estuary. An ecotone has its own characteristics in addition to sharing certain characteristics of the two communities.

2. See also edge effect

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Other Word Forms

• ecotonal adjective

Etymology

Origin of ecotone

1900–05; eco- + tone < Greek tónos tension

Example Sentences

The trail seems to transverse through an ecotone, a transitional zone between plant communities, switching between high desert and pine forest ecosystems.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

“Ari, do you know what an ecotone is?”

From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz

“It’s the terrain where two different ecosystems meet. In an ecotone, the landscape will contain elements of the two different ecosystems. It’s like a natural borderlands.”

From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz

The result is a transition area or ecotone which epitomizes the next stage in development.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra

The movement into a bare area is likewise continuous, though it is necessarily not mutual, and hence there is no ecotone during the earlier stages.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra