Neobiota

Neobiota refers to plants (neophytes) and animals (neozoa) that have colonized regions where they were not "naturally" native before 1492—the year Christopher Columbus discovered America (Nentwig 2010, Kowarik 2010). This date marks a point when it became possible for European species to reach the American continent (and vice versa) for the first time. There are fundamentally two ways in which species can spread to areas where they were not previously native: either accidentally through unintentional transport or escape from gardens, etc., or through intentional release for some utilization purpose (Baur 2021). Well-known examples of the latter in Germany include the Caucasian Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) and the raccoon (Procyon lotor).

Many neobiota remain rare in their new habitats, often restricted to a limited number of sites. However, some species successfully integrate into existing communities, while only a small fraction spread significantly within their newly occupied regions (Kowarik 2010). Certain "invasive" species can cause ecological damage by displacing native species and / or  economic damage by disrupting transportation routes, leading to costly control measures. These measures are assessed based on their potential or actual threats (Nehring et al. 2013). Based on this assessment, strategies for containment or possible eradication are developed for Germany and Europe (http://neobiota.bfn.de/).

While the immigration of species into previously unoccupied areas has always occurred naturally, human transportation networks have significantly accelerated this process. In large regions, such as Europe, newly immigrating species typically do not threaten native populations (Kowarik 2010). However, in smaller areas, such as islands, native species often struggle to compete with newcomers and face considerable disadvantages. Since many species found on these islands are endemics — meaning they are found nowhere else in the world — neobiota on islands frequently represent an extreme threat to global biodiversity (Nentwig 2010).

Photo Gallery

Sources

Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN): http://neobiota.bfn.de/

Kowarik, I. (2010): Biological Invasions: Neophytes and Neozoa in Central Europe. 2nd ed., Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart.

Nehring, S., Kowarik, I., Rabitsch, W., & Essle, F. (Eds.) (2013): Nature Conservation-Based Invasiveness Assessments for Wild Growing Non-Native Vascular Plants in Germany. BfN-Skripten 352: 1-204.

Nentwig, W. (2010): Invasive Species. UTB Profile. Haupt Verlag, Bern.