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shrubland

shrubland

4.6
An area covered mostly with low bushes and small woody plants
  • noun
  • /ˈʃrʌbˌlænd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : matorral
  • The common wombat inhabits woodlands and shrublands of the temperate regions of southeastern Australia and Tasmania.
  • shrubland vegetation
  • grassland and shrubland

Examples

  • These areas typically had gentle slopes, and shrubland was the most common land-cover type (Supplementary Material 3).

    Academic text (2017)
  • The red fox is more at home at lower latitudes, where it inhabits prairies, shrublands, and forests.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The primary land cover types are shrubland and woodland dominated by pinyon.

    Academic text (2017)
  • "The landscape was dominated by acacia and grasses, probably representing a dry shrubland," Bush says.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Shrubland and grassland were the most strongly and positively associated with space-use intensity.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Woodland, forest, shrubland, and riparian areas typically were assigned higher permeability values than other land-cover classes.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Finally, very little solid information is available on the composition, dynamics, and productivity of Nepal's forests and shrublands, and on how these characteristics change under varying levels of human use.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The pressure that is being put on high-altitude forests and woodlands and on alpine shrublands along the popular trekking routes is of special concern.

    Academic text (1993)
  • In 50% of these sites, the lack of tree regeneration indicated that the sites had transitioned from a forest to a grassland or shrubland with a diminished capacity to sequester carbon.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The trail leads through a peaceful shrubland, filled with low bushes and wildflowers.

Synonyms

bush
vsshrubland
  • Australian
180 3.7

Wild land with many small trees and thick plants far from towns

is about land defined by low woody plants as the dominant vegetation, not remoteness
brush
vsshrubland
  • US
61 2.2

A thick group of small trees and bushes

refers to land where that growth is the dominant vegetation rather than isolated patches
scrub
vsshrubland
29 6.2

Low, thick bushes and small trees that grow on dry land

names areas where those plants are the main vegetation across the land
scrubland
vsshrubland
1 6.6

An area of land covered with short bushes and grasses that is hard to farm

focuses on dominance of low woody plants regardless of farming suitability
bushland
vsshrubland
  • Australian
1 4.1

A wild area with bushes and small trees, often in Australia

is narrower, meaning land where low woody plants are the main cover
brushland
vsshrubland
1 4.6

Land that has mostly bushes and very few trees

is defined by low woody plants as the main land cover rather than mixed trees
heathland
vsshrubland
8.6

Open land with low bushes like heather and poor sandy soil

is about land dominated by low woody plants regardless of soil or plant species

How Shrubby

thicket
22 5.1
scrub
29 6.2
shrubland
  • Specialized
4.6
heath
  • UK
3 7.2
grassland
20 2.7

Surface Forms

shrubland singular
shrublands plural

Morphology

shrubland = shrub + land (transparent) = shrub + land

The word is a straightforward compound of 'shrub' and 'land', clearly indicating a land dominated by shrubs.

Etymology

Shrubland is made from shrub and land. Shrub means a 'small bush' and land means an 'area of ground', so shrubland is ground covered with low bushes.