introduced species

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introduced species

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Encyclopædia Britannica Article

also called alien species or exotic species a species introduced either accidentally or deliberately by human actions into places beyond its natural geographical range. Familiar examples include the house sparrow, domestic pigeon, and starling, which were all deliberately introduced into North America and other places from their native ranges in Europe. Rats of several species were unintended stowaways…

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	More from Britannica on "introduced species"...


518 Encyclopædia Britannica articles, from the full 32 volume encyclopedia
>	introduced species a species introduced either accidentally or deliberately by human actions into places beyond its natural geographical range. Familiar examples include the house sparrow, domestic pigeon, and starling, which were all deliberately introduced into North America and other places from their native ranges in Europe. Rats of several species were unintended stowaways on oceanic ...
>	velvet grass one of eight perennial grasses constituting the genus Holcus (family Poaceae), native to Europe and Africa. It has tufted flower clusters that may be white, green, pink, or purple.
>	Boston ivy clinging woody vine of the grape family (Vitaceae). Native to eastern Asia, the plant has been introduced to other regions, particularly as a climbing ornamental on stone and brick facades. The vine grows to a length of about 18 m (about 60 feet). The alternate leaves, which are either simple and three-lobed or compound with three leaflets, turn bright scarlet in the ...
>	guinea worm member of the class Nematoda (phylum Aschelminthes). The guinea worm, a common parasite of man in tropical regions of Asia and Africa, has also been introduced into the West Indies and tropical South America. In addition to humans, a variety of other mammals are parasitized by the guinea worm. The disease caused by the worm is called dracunculiasis.
>	Community equilibrium and species diversity from the community ecology article In some environments, succession reaches a climax, producing a stable community dominated by a small number of prominent species. This state of equilibrium, called the climax community, is thought to result when the web of biotic interactions becomes so intricate that no other species can be admitted. In other environments, continual small-scale disturbances produce ...
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67 Student Encyclopedia Britannica articles, specially written for elementary and high school students
	History from the endangered species article Plants and animals have become extinct and new species have evolved since life on Earth began. Preliterate human cultures may have caused the extinction of some species, but the primary causes for species to become extinct were natural ones. Major environmental changes resulted in the eventual disappearance of species unable to adapt to new conditions. Well-known natural ...
	Vegetation and Animal Life from the South Africa article Natural vegetation has been heavily modified through overgrazing, seasonal burning, and introduced species. East of the Drakensberg escarpment, subtropical forests nurtured by spring and summer rains have been displaced by grasslands, exotic trees, such as wattle, poplar, and eucalyptus, and farmlands. Only one continuous area of southern Western Cape—that of the Knysna ...
	Plants and Animals from the New Zealand article Most of New Zealand's native plant and animal species are not found anywhere else. This is partly the result of millions of years of evolution in isolation from continental landmasses. The closest such landmass, Australia, also has a wide variety of unusual species.
	Landscapes, Sea, and Climate from the West Indies article Geologists have identified three different types of landscapes on the basis of their structural associations with the North and South American mountain systems. Most of Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Yucatán peninsula where Belize is located consist of low-lying horizontal limestone plateaus like the Florida peninsula. Similar examples are the islands in the outer arc of the ...
	Human Influence from the biogeography article Today's distribution patterns are in great part a product of human intervention, whether intentional or accidental. House sparrows and starlings, originally species of Europe, have become a dominant part of the bird population of the eastern United States. The European hare, introduced into Australia, has successfully colonized many areas of the continent. The brown tree ...
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