A synanthrope (from ancient Greek σύν sýn "together, with" and ἄνθρωπος ánthrōpos "man") is an organism that evolution to live near and benefit from and their environmental modifications (see also anthropophilia for animals who live close to humans as ). The term includes many and regarded as pests or , but does not include domestication species.
Zoology
Examples of synanthropes are various species of
(
,
louse,
,
silverfish,
, etc.),
Myriapoda (
and
Centipede, notably the house centipede),
(
,
dust mite, etc.), common house gecko, birds such as
,
,
(pigeons),
and
,
,
and other
, various
rodent species (especially
,
house mice and
Squirrel),
,
,
certain
monkey species,
,
, and other
urban wildlife.
[Sofaer HR, Flather CH, Jarnevich CS, Davis KP, Pejchar L. Human-associated species dominate passerine communities across the United States. Global Ecol Biogeogr. 2020;29:885–895. ]
The brown rat is counted as one of the most prominent synanthropic animals and can be found in almost every place there are people.
Botany
Synanthropic plants include
pineapple weed,
dandelion,
chicory, and
Plantago. Plant synanthropes are classified into two main types – apophytes and anthropophytes.
Apophytes are synanthropic species that are native in origin. They can be subdivided into the following:
-
Cultigen apophytes – spread by cultivation methods
-
Ruderal apophytes – spread by development of marginal areas
-
Pyrophyte apophytes – spread by fires
-
Zoogen apophytes – spread by grazing animals
-
Substitution apophytes – spread by logging or voluntary extension
Anthropophytes are synanthropic species of foreign origin, whether introduced voluntarily or involuntarily. They can be subdivided into the following:
-
Archaeophytes – introduced before the end of the 15th century
-
Kenophytes – introduced after the 15th century
-
Ephemerophytes – anthropophytic plants that appear episodically
-
Subspontaneous – voluntarily introduced plants that have escaped cultivation and survived in the wild without further human intervention for a certain period.
-
Adventive – involuntarily introduced plants that have escaped cultivation and survived in the wild without further human intervention for a certain period.
-
Naturalized or Neophytes – involuntarily introduced plants that now appear to thrive along with the native flora indefinitely.
See also
Literature
-
Herbert Sukopp & Rüdiger Wittig (eds.): Urban Ecology . 2nd edition G. Fischer; Stuttgart, Jena, Lübeck, Ulm; 1998: p. 276 ff.
External links
