faunistic

Faunistic is an adjective relating to fauna, the animal life of a particular region, habitat, or geological period. In ecology and biogeography, faunistic descriptions focus on the composition, distribution, abundance, and interactions of animal species within a defined area. The term is commonly used to describe the faunal component of biodiversity and is often contrasted with floristic descriptions, which concern plants.

Faunistic work includes surveys and inventories that record which species are present, how many individuals occur, and where they are found. Faunistic data underpin the delineation of faunal regions or zones, comparisons of faunal assemblages across sites, and assessments of conservation status. They are gathered from field observations, trapping, museum records, and, more recently, environmental DNA and citizen-science reports. Faunistics also informs studies of biogeography, habitat use, and ecosystem function, and it can extend to paleontological assemblages in the fossil record.

Limitations of faunistic studies include uneven sampling effort, seasonal variability, and taxonomic ambiguity, which can complicate comparisons over space and time. Nevertheless, faunistic information remains essential for biodiversity assessments, wildlife management, and the understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes shaping animal life.