User:Waterdragonfly/Native species

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A wild organism (as opposed to a domesticated organism) is known as an introduced species within the regions where it was anthropogenically introduced.

The notion of nativity is often a blurred concept, as it is a function of time. Over long periods local conditions and migratory patterns are constantly changing as tectonic plates move, join, and split. Natural climate change (which is much slower than human-caused climate change) changes sea level, ice cover, temperature, and rainfall, driving direct changes in habitability and indirect changes through the presence of predators, competitors, food sources, and even oxygen levels. Species do naturally appear, reproduce, and endure, or become extinct, and their distribution is rarely static or confined to a particular geographic location. Moreover, the distinction between native and non-native as being tied to a local occurrence during historical times has been criticised as lacking perspective

The time period chosen for determining if a species is native to an area affects that determination. Humans have had a significant impact on other species for 'centuries'. As Homo sapiens migrated around the world they brought plant and animal species with them and decimated other species due to hunting and changes they made to the habitats. A case has been made for more graded categorisations such as that of prehistoric natives, which occurred in a region during prehistory but have since suffered local extinction there due to human involvement.