Colonisation or colonization is the process in biology by which a species spreads to new areas. Colonisation often refers to successfulimmigration where a population becomes integrated into an ecological community, having resisted initial local extinction.[citation needed] In ecology, it is represented by the symbol λ (lowercase lambda) to denote the long-term intrinsic growth rate of a population.
Colonisation occurs on several scales. In the most basic form, as biofilm in the formation of communities of microorganisms on surfaces.[2] In small scales such as colonising new sites, perhaps as a result of environmental change. And on larger scales where a species expands its range to encompass new areas. This can be through a series of small encroachments, such as in woody plant encroachment, or by long-distance dispersal. The term range expansion is also used.[3]
Use
The term is generally only used to refer to the spread of a species into new areas by natural means, as opposed to unnaturalintroduction or translocation by humans, which may lead to invasive species.
the colonisation of the Earth's land by the first animals, the arthropods. The first fossils of land animals come from millipedes. These were seen about 450 million years ago (Dunn, 2013).
the colonisation of Burmese pythons into the Florida Everglades. The release of snakes came from the desire to breed them and sell them as exotic pets. As they grew people became unable to care for the animals and began to release them into the Everglades.
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^Wilson, E.O. (1962) The nature of the Taxon Cycle in Melanesian ant fauna "Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-09-25.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) The American Naturalist
^1. O’Toole, G., Kaplan, H. B. & Kolter, R. Biofilm Formation as Microbial Development. Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 54, 49–79 (2000).
^Yackulic, Charles B.; Nichols, James D.; Reid, Janice; Der, Ricky. 2015. To predict the niche, model colonization and extinction. Ecology. 96(1): 16-23.
^Livezey KB. 2009a. Range expansion of Barred Owls, part I: chronology and distribution. American Midland Naturalist 161:49–56.
^Livezey KB. 2009b. Range expansion of Barred Owls, part 2: facilitating ecological changes. American Midland Naturalist 161:323–349.