Indigenous (ecology)
Encyclopedia
In biogeography
, a species
is defined as native (or indigenous) to a given region or ecosystem
if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism
(as opposed to a domesticated
organism) has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native. Outside this native range, a species may be introduced by human activity; it is then referred to as an introduced species
within the regions where it was anthropogenically introduced.
An indigenous species is not necessarily endemic. In biology and ecology, endemic means exclusively native to the biota
of a specific place. An indigenous species may occur in areas other than the one under consideration.
The terms endemic and indigenous do not imply that an organism necessarily originated or evolved
where it is found.
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
, a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
is defined as native (or indigenous) to a given region or ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
(as opposed to a domesticated
Domestication
Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...
organism) has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native. Outside this native range, a species may be introduced by human activity; it is then referred to as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
within the regions where it was anthropogenically introduced.
An indigenous species is not necessarily endemic. In biology and ecology, endemic means exclusively native to the biota
Biota (ecology)
Biota are the total collection of organisms of a geographic region or a time period, from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet and whole-timescale spatiotemporal scales. The biota of the Earth lives in the biosphere.-See...
of a specific place. An indigenous species may occur in areas other than the one under consideration.
The terms endemic and indigenous do not imply that an organism necessarily originated or evolved
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
where it is found.