BIOTA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does biota mean? 

• BIOTA (noun)
  The noun BIOTA has 1 sense:

1. all the plant and animal life of a particular region

  Familiarity information: BIOTA used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BIOTA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

All the plant and animal life of a particular region

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

biology; biota

Hypernyms ("biota" is a kind of...):

accumulation; aggregation; assemblage; collection (several things grouped together or considered as a whole)

Meronyms (members of "biota"):

fauna; zoology (all the animal life in a particular region or period)

botany; flora; vegetation (all the plant life in a particular region or period)

 Context examples 

The incredibly interesting and unique biota that occurred on this island was totally eradicated at some point as the island reconnected to mainland Eurasia and more cosmopolitan animals were able to access it.

(Fossil discovery adds to understanding of how geological changes affected evolution of mammalian life, National Science Foundation)

Many of the biota in ancient lakes may be especially sensitive to threats and may be less likely to recover following collapses of their populations.

(Ancient lakes: eyes into the past, and the future, National Science Foundation)

Overhunting leads to the extinction of a dominant tree species, Miliusa horsfieldii, or the Miliusa beech, with likely cascading effects on other forest biota.

(Overhunting of large animals has catastrophic effects on trees, NSF)