Pantropical
Encyclopedia
In biogeography, a pantropical ("across the tropics") distribution one which covers tropical regions of all of the major continents, i.e. in Africa
, in Asia
and in the Americas
. Examples include the plant genera Acacia
and Bacopa
.
Neotropical refers to occurrence in the tropical regions of the New World
, i.e. the Americas
.
Palaeotropical
refers to geographical occurrence. For a distribution to be palaeotropical a taxon must occur in tropical regions on both continents in the Old World
, i.e. in Africa
and Asia
.
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. Examples include the plant genera Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
and Bacopa
Bacopa
Bacopa is a genus of 70 - 100 aquatic plants belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It is commonly known as Waterhyssop .-Description:They are annual or perennial, decumbent or erect stemmed plants...
.
Neotropical refers to occurrence in the tropical regions of the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, i.e. the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
.
Palaeotropical
Palaeotropical
In biology, palaeotropical refers to geographical occurrence. For a distribution to be palaeotropical a taxon must occur in tropical regions on both continents in the Old World, i.e. in Africa and Asia....
refers to geographical occurrence. For a distribution to be palaeotropical a taxon must occur in tropical regions on both continents in the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
, i.e. in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.