Synanthropy

The term synanthropy describes the adaptation of an animal or plant species to the human settlement area , so that it does not have to rely on the addition of its population from outside. The associated adjective is called synanthropic .

A distinction is often made here:

Eusynanthropy (= obligatory synanthropy): the occurrence and reproduction of the respective life form are limited to human settlement, at least within a certain climatic zone. In Central Europe this applies, for example, to the bed bug , the bread beetle , the meal beetle and the ball spider Steatoda grossa, which has so far only been found in houses .

Hemisynanthropy (= facultative synanthropy): The corresponding form of life finds optimal living conditions in settlements, but also occurs to a small extent outside of settlements. In Central Europe, for example, this applies to the common swift .

literature

• Herbert Sukopp & Rüdiger Wittig (eds.): Urban ecology . 2nd edition G. Fischer; Stuttgart, Jena, Lübeck, Ulm; 1998: pp. 276 ff. ISBN 3-437-26000-6