We explain what is a native species, what is an endemic species and an exotic species. Also, some examples of native species.
What is a native species?
It is said of a species animal, plant or other type that is a native species when it is native to a specific geographic site, that is, it is native to that region without human intervention of any kind. This applies even if it has subsequently spread to other regions of the map (where it will instead become an introduced or exotic species). They are also known as indigenous species or autochthonous species, but should not be confused with endemic species.
All the living beings not domesticated come from somewhere, in which their origin originated. species, and in that place they are considered native. Instead, animals domesticated have become accustomed to living in contexts intervened by the human being, and this implies moving to other latitudes, which, perhaps, would never have come naturally.
Native species usually possess evolutionary traits determined by their original environment of appearance, but with the passage of time, in those cases in which the environment changes drastically for long enough, changes can begin to take place, given the new dynamics of natural selection and adaptation to their new environments.
On the other hand, the total of native species make up the fauna and Flora native to each region, and are usually perfectly adapted to each other, since they are part of the same ecosystem for a long time. This causes that the destruction of native species or their replacement by other invasive ones generate unpredictable consequences in the environment, and may cause loss of biodiversity, ecosystem degradation and even extinctions.
Endemic species
A native species should not be confused with an endemic species, although all endemic species are native.That is to say: all species are native to some place, from which they come and where they are perfectly integrated into the ecosystem; But endemic species are also native species that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet, that is, they are never found as exotic or invasive species, which makes them a much more fragile ecological case.
For example, the Galapagos marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), in Ecuador, are endemic (and therefore native) to these islands. In contrast, the common iguana (Iguana iguana) is native to Central America and South America, but it can be found in Florida, USA, where it was feral by humans.
Exotic species
Exotic species are just the opposite of native ones, that is, they are those species that are found in a geography or a context outside their place of origin, where they constitute a foreign element of the ecosystem.
An exotic species is generally introduced by humans, or its habitat due to the consequences of the latter's life (such as logging, pollution, etc.), and depending on its behavior in the new ecosystem, it can integrate and cohabit or it can spread and replace other local species, monopolizing biological niches and causing damage to biodiversity. In the latter case, we speak of invasive species, and sometimes they can become pests, also causing damage to the humanity (such as the destruction of crops or the transmission of diseases). For this reason, there is a strict control in the world of the species, seeds and biological products that can be carried from one country to another.
Examples of native species
Some cases of native species are:
- The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). Native as its name implies from South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay and southern Brazil), but artificially introduced in almost all continents except Antarctica.
- The red-eyed frog (Agalychnis callydas). Native to the woods tropical Americans, especially from southern Mexico to northwestern Colombia.
- The American crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Native to the American Southeast, but introduced by the culture aquaculture in some Asian and European countries where it became a Invasive species.
- The paradise crane (Grus paradisea). A species of wading bird native to and endemic to South Africa.
- The Moteczuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum). It is a species of tree native to Mexico and Guatemala, but it can be found as an exotic species in the United States (in Texas and New Mexico).