Sympatry is the term used to describe populations, varieties, or species that occur in the same place at the same time. In the broadest sense, sympatric species have overlapping geographic ranges, but in ecology, a narrower definition is often used that describes species that not only have overlapping ranges, but that live in the same local community such that they are close enough to interact. For this reason, ‘syntopic’ is sometimes used for emphasis, to describe individuals of different species that occur side-by-side in nature, utilizing the same habitats.
反义词：allopatry
