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

The project, which has been underway for more than a decade, has a mouthful of a name — Boreal Forest Warming at an Ecotone in Danger, or B4WARMED for short — but a clear objective.

From Washington Post

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

From Literature

“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 Literature

“No mom, you don’t. I live in an ecotone. Employment must coexist with goofing off. Responsibility must coexist with irresponsibility.”

From Literature