Difference between flora and fauna

instagram viewer

Not only in biology lessons, but also in everyday life, one hears and reads about “flora and fauna” again and again. Since both terms are almost invariably mentioned together, the difference is not very clear to many. Isn't both just nature?

Flora and fauna united - a snail on a leaf
Flora and fauna united - a snail on a leaf

A big difference

  • Man divides nature into two parts. The difference: there is animate and inanimate nature.
  • However, these two categories are further split up.
  • There is a difference between flora and fauna. In contrast to stones or liquids, both belong to animate nature, but while the flora means the totality of all plants, the fauna considers the large area of ​​all animals.

The great kingdom of the fauna

  • The word "fauna" is a collective term for all animal species that can be found in a demarcated area. These areas are called "biotopes".
  • The members of a fauna share this habitat because they have adapted to the specific living conditions. There is, for example, the forest fauna or the sweet sea fauna.
  • The dry savannah and its wildlife

    Even under the most adverse conditions, nature produces animals and living beings that ...

  • However, the term can also be defined more narrowly and not all animals within a habitat, but only partial groups.
  • There are five forms of these sub-fauna: birds (avifauna), fish (ichthyofauna), reptiles (herpetofauna), molluscs (malacofauna) and insects (Entomofauna).
  • Another way of looking at the subgroups is a breakdown according to body size, whereby there are micro, meiofauna, macrofauna and megafauna.
  • However, one can also go to the meta-level and view the earth as a living space within the universe. Then the fauna of the earth would be the totality of all animal species living on it.

The flora

  • The flora of the earth is just as rich in species.
  • The flora can also be defined in a similar way: It is the sum of all plants that inhabit a biotope. An example would be the alpine flora.
  • The areas can be very different in size, but they must consistently have the same characteristics in order for them to count as a biotope.
  • It is also crucial that the plants have an independent vegetation character. Man's creation of artificial conditions does not count.

How helpful do you find this article?

click fraud protection