Ecology: Biology of Interactions. III-15. (Supplement) Flora, Fauna, Consortia
Flora is the set of plant species associated with a given geographic space. Flora composition is determined both by present conditions and by geological history. Vegetation is the spatial organization of plant cover; fauna is the corresponding set of animal species.
III-15. (supplement) Flora, fauna, consortia
Flora is the totality of plant species of a defined territory; fauna is the totality of animal species. Their composition reflects both current environmental regimes and historical-geological processes (migration history, barriers, climate shifts, extinctions, and speciation).
Vegetation refers to the spatially organized plant cover, while fauna and vegetation interact through trophic, habitat-forming, and engineering effects.
A consortium is a structural-functional unit centered around a determinant organism (often a plant or other key species) and the set of organisms directly or indirectly associated with it by feeding, shelter, transport, or other ecological links.
Consortial analysis helps reveal fine-scale interaction architecture inside ecosystems and communities and clarifies how individual species support broader ecological networks.