Range (biology)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In biology, the range of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found.
The term is often qualified:
- sometimes a distinction is made between a species' native range and the places to which it has been introduced by human agency (deliberately or accidentally), as well as where it has been re-introduced following extirpation.
- for species which are found in different regions at different times of year, terms such as summer range and winter range are often employed.
- for species where only part of their range is used for breeding activity, the terms breeding range and non-breeding range are used.
- when discussing mobile animals, the species' natural range is often discussed, as opposed to areas where it occurs as a vagrant.
- geographic or temporal qualifiers are often added e.g. British range or pre-1950 range.
