Going Wild in the City—Animal Feralization and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Urban Environments
Domestication describes a range of changes to wild species as they are increasingly brought under human selection and husbandry. Feralization is the process whereby a species leaves the human sphere and undergoes increasing natural selection in a wild context, which may or may not be geographically...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/4/747 |
| _version_ | 1797622761479208960 |
|---|---|
| author | Thomas Göttert Gad Perry |
| author_facet | Thomas Göttert Gad Perry |
| author_sort | Thomas Göttert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Domestication describes a range of changes to wild species as they are increasingly brought under human selection and husbandry. Feralization is the process whereby a species leaves the human sphere and undergoes increasing natural selection in a wild context, which may or may not be geographically adjacent to where the originator wild species evolved prior to domestication. Distinguishing between domestic, feral, and wild species can be difficult, since some populations of so-called “wild species” are at least partly descended from domesticated “populations” (e.g., junglefowl, European wild sheep) and because transitions in both directions are gradual rather than abrupt. In urban settings, prior selection for coexistence with humans provides particular benefit for a domestic organism that undergoes feralization. One risk is that such taxa can become invasive not just at the site of release/escape but far away. As humanity becomes increasingly urban and pristine environments rapidly diminish, we believe that feralized populations also hold conservation value. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:15:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-386ba45a0d044477901c890c1f14123b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:15:49Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-386ba45a0d044477901c890c1f14123b2023-11-16T18:41:00ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-02-0113474710.3390/ani13040747Going Wild in the City—Animal Feralization and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Urban EnvironmentsThomas Göttert0Gad Perry1Research Center [Sustainability–Transformation–Transfer], Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, 16225 Eberswalde, GermanyDepartment of Natural Resource Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USADomestication describes a range of changes to wild species as they are increasingly brought under human selection and husbandry. Feralization is the process whereby a species leaves the human sphere and undergoes increasing natural selection in a wild context, which may or may not be geographically adjacent to where the originator wild species evolved prior to domestication. Distinguishing between domestic, feral, and wild species can be difficult, since some populations of so-called “wild species” are at least partly descended from domesticated “populations” (e.g., junglefowl, European wild sheep) and because transitions in both directions are gradual rather than abrupt. In urban settings, prior selection for coexistence with humans provides particular benefit for a domestic organism that undergoes feralization. One risk is that such taxa can become invasive not just at the site of release/escape but far away. As humanity becomes increasingly urban and pristine environments rapidly diminish, we believe that feralized populations also hold conservation value.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/4/747Anthropocenedomesticationferalizationurbanizationinvasive speciesbiodiversity in novel ecosystems |
| spellingShingle | Thomas Göttert Gad Perry Going Wild in the City—Animal Feralization and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Urban Environments Animals Anthropocene domestication feralization urbanization invasive species biodiversity in novel ecosystems |
| title | Going Wild in the City—Animal Feralization and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Urban Environments |
| title_full | Going Wild in the City—Animal Feralization and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Urban Environments |
| title_fullStr | Going Wild in the City—Animal Feralization and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Urban Environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Going Wild in the City—Animal Feralization and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Urban Environments |
| title_short | Going Wild in the City—Animal Feralization and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Urban Environments |
| title_sort | going wild in the city animal feralization and its impacts on biodiversity in urban environments |
| topic | Anthropocene domestication feralization urbanization invasive species biodiversity in novel ecosystems |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/4/747 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thomasgottert goingwildinthecityanimalferalizationanditsimpactsonbiodiversityinurbanenvironments AT gadperry goingwildinthecityanimalferalizationanditsimpactsonbiodiversityinurbanenvironments |