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zonation
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Diagram showing ocean zonation by depth and region, with labeled layers: littoral, sublittoral, bathyal, abyssal, and hadal along the seafloor, and epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, and abyssalpelagic in open water. The littoral zone is at the high-tide mark. Vertical scale marks photic and aphotic zones from surface to 10,000 meters.
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zonation

ecology
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Diagram showing ocean zonation by depth and region, with labeled layers: littoral, sublittoral, bathyal, abyssal, and hadal along the seafloor, and epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, and abyssalpelagic in open water. The littoral zone is at the high-tide mark. Vertical scale marks photic and aphotic zones from surface to 10,000 meters.
ocean zonation Zonation of the ocean. Note that in the littoral zone the water is at the high-tide mark.

Zonation in ecology refers to the distribution of organisms into distinct zones or bands, often influenced by environmental gradients. This can be observed in various ways, such as the arrangement of plant communities based on factors like temperature, light, or water availability. For instance, as glaciers retreat, distinct zones of vegetation like tundra and coniferous forests emerge in succession.12

Ecological succession is the process by which the structure of a biological community changes over time. Pioneer species are the first to colonize a new environment, gradually leading to a more complex community structure as new species arrive. This sequential change in species composition and the physical environment is a fundamental aspect of ecological zonation.3

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. plant - Succession and zonation
  2. ecological succession: Top Questions
  3. zonation
  4. community ecology - Stratification and gradation

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