Biogeographic realm

A large geographic region distinguished by characteristic evolutionary histories and distributions of plants and animals, often separated by major barriers to dispersal.

Biogeography: The study of the geographic distribution of organisms and the processes that shape it. Realms are broad units used to describe biogeographic patterns.
Afrotropical realm: The biogeographic realm covering sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and nearby islands. Its distinctive African and Malagasy biota exemplifies a major realm.
Plate tectonics: The theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into moving plates that reshape continents and oceans. Continental movement altered connections and separations among the ancestors of realm biotas.
Biogeographic province: A regional unit within a biogeographic scheme, distinguished by a more localized set of species and ecological conditions. Provinces subdivide the broad areas represented by realms.
Endemism: The condition of a species or lineage being native to and restricted to a particular geographic area. Concentrations of endemic species help distinguish one realm from another.
Indomalayan realm: The biogeographic realm covering South and Southeast Asia and parts of the western Malay Archipelago. Its transitions toward Australasia reveal the effects of island barriers and past connections.
Continental drift: The gradual movement of continents across Earth's surface over geological time. Past continental positions help explain distributions that modern geography cannot.
Ecoregion: A geographic area defined by characteristic ecosystems, species, and environmental conditions. Ecoregions emphasize ecological patterns at finer scales than evolutionary realms.
Allopatric speciation: The formation of new species when populations become geographically isolated. Long-lasting isolation can produce the distinctive lineages found within realms.
Australasian realm: The biogeographic realm centered on Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. Its marsupial-rich fauna reflects prolonged isolation from other continental biotas.

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New Zealand biogeographyNarrower topic: New Zealand is treated as a distinct realm in global classifications of terrestrial life.