Editing Ecoregion (section)

== Terrestrial ==<!-- This section is the link target for [[Terrestrial ecoregion]] -->
[[File:Wwfeco.png|thumb|right|upright=0.9|WWF terrestrial ecoregions]]
Terrestrial ecoregions are land ecoregions, as distinct from freshwater and marine ecoregions. In this context, ''[[Landform|terrestrial]]'' is used to mean "of land" (soil and rock), rather than the more general sense "of [[Earth]]" (which includes land and oceans).

WWF (World Wildlife Fund) [[ecologist]]s currently divide the land surface of the Earth into eight [[biogeographical realm]]s containing 867 smaller terrestrial ecoregions (see [[List of terrestrial ecoregions (WWF)|list]]). The WWF effort is a synthesis of many previous efforts to define and classify ecoregions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/item1267.html|title=Biomes - Conserving Biomes - WWF}}</ref>

The eight realms follow the major floral and faunal boundaries, identified by botanists and zoologists, that separate the world's major plant and animal communities. Realm boundaries generally follow [[continent]]al boundaries, or major barriers to plant and animal distribution, like the [[Himalayas]] and the [[Sahara]]. The boundaries of ecoregions are often not as decisive or well recognized, and are subject to greater disagreement.
[[File:Proportion of forest area by forest area density class and global ecological zone, 2015.svg|thumb|Proportion of forest area by forest area density class and global ecological zone, 2015, from [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] publication The State of the World's Forests 2020. Forests, biodiversity and people – In brief<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8985en|title=The State of the World's Forests 2020. Forests, biodiversity and people – In brief|publisher=FAO & UNEP|year=2020|isbn=978-92-5-132707-4|location=Rome|doi=10.4060/ca8985en|s2cid=241416114 }}</ref>]]
Ecoregions are classified by [[biome]] type, which are the major global plant communities determined by rainfall and climate. Forests, grasslands (including savanna and shrubland), and deserts (including [[Deserts and xeric shrublands|xeric shrublands]]) are distinguished by climate ([[tropical]] and [[subtropical]] vs. [[temperate]] and [[boreal ecosystem|boreal]] climates) and, for forests, by whether the trees are predominantly [[conifer]]s ([[gymnosperm]]s), or whether they are predominantly broadleaf ([[Angiosperm]]s) and mixed (broadleaf and conifer). Biome types like [[Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub]]; [[tundra]]; and [[mangroves]] host very distinct ecological communities, and are recognised as distinct biome types{{clarify|reason=tautological; biome types are recognised as distance biome types? perhap as distinct ecoregions?|date=October 2021}} as well.