Concept
In botany, a neophyte (from Greek νέος (néos) "new" and φυτόν (phutón) "plant") is a plant species which is not native to a geographical region and was introduced in recent history. Non-native plants that are long-established in an area are called archaeophytes. In Britain, neophytes are defined more specifically as plant species that were introduced after 1492, when Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World and the Columbian Exchange began. The terminology of the invasion biology is very uneven. In the English-speaking world, terms such as invasive species or the like are mainly used, which is interpreted differently and do not differentiate between different groups of animals or characteristics of the species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) differentiates in its definitions between alien species and invasive alien species; Alien species are species that have been introduced into a foreign area through human influence. The invasive attribute (invasive) species are assigned that displace native species in their new habitat. In English, summarizing terms such as alien species (foreign species) or, in the case of suppressing potencies, invasive species (invasive species) are used without differentiating between plants, animals and fungi. However, the term "neonative" was proposed. In addition to the inconsistency, the xenophobic connotation of invasive and alien was criticized. The neutral designation Neobiota unites all species that have colonized new areas through human influence. However, the terms with neo are not used in a completely uniform way: According to one opinion, the terms neobiota or neophytes or neozoa apply regardless of when a species was introduced. According to another understanding, these names only apply to species introduced from 1492 onwards. The year of the discovery of America by Columbus was chosen as the border because it marks the beginning of the intensive exchange of living beings between Europe and America.
