ecotype

American  

[ek-uh-tahyp, ee-kuh-] / ˈɛk əˌtaɪp, ˈi kə- /

noun

Ecology.

1. a subspecies or race that is especially adapted to a particular set of environmental conditions.

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ecotype British  

/ ˈiːkəˌtaɪp, ˈɛkə-, ˌɛkə-, ˌiːkəˈtɪpɪk /

noun

1. ecology a group of organisms within a species that is adapted to particular environmental conditions and therefore exhibits behavioural, structural, or physiological differences from other members of the species

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ecotype Scientific  

/ ē′kə-tīp′ /

1. A subdivision of an ecospecies, comparable to a subspecies or geographic race and consisting of an isolated population selectively adapted to a particular set of environmental conditions.

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Other Word Forms

• ecotypic adjective
• ecotypically adverb

Etymology

Origin of ecotype

First recorded in 1920–25; eco- + type

Example Sentences

This ecotype can be divided into two groups -- inner coast whales that feed in shallow coastal waters, and outer coast whales that hunt in deep water -- but relatively little is known about the outer coast whales.

From Science Daily

One ecotype, known as transient killer whales, specialize in hunting marine mammals.

From Science Daily

You can drill down further to where the plants are sourced, or their ecotype, by asking where the nursery bought their stock.

From Seattle Times

Transient orcas, the most common ecotype of killer whales in the North Pacific, hunt pinnipeds — marine mammals with flippers, such as sea lions and harbor seals.

From Los Angeles Times

A lot of our foods do that — salmon is a great example of just being an ecotype in and of itself, its own force that goes in and out of different environments, and returns to ancestral rivers, and gives its life for the health of the land.

From Seattle Times