A taxocene (from Greek τάξις and κοινός) is a
taxonomically
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...
related set of
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
within a
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
. An example of a taxocene would be "
fishes
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
in a
pond
A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...
," as the fishes are closely related to one another (i.e., the fishes are more closely related, by evolutionary descent, to each other than any fish is related to any other type of pond organism) and fulfill similar roles within the pond community. Alternatively, it can be defined as a group of species that belong to particular supraspecific taxon and occur together in the same association.
[Edward M. Barrows]
Animal behavior desk reference
2001.
References
Ecosystems
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