Cosmopolitan species: what is and examples

Cosmopolitan species: what is and examples

By Dr. Kyle Muller

Biodiversity, as we know it, is distributed unequally on the planet and yet there are species that have managed to populate all continents despite the great differences that exist in them in terms of biotic, physical and evolutionary factors. These species are the so -called cosmopolitan species and have a universal distribution due to various characteristics. In this ecology article, we tell you What is a cosmopolitan species and examples that we can find in nature.

What is the distribution of species

Throughout the planet The distribution of living beings is not uniformeach set of organisms can be distributed in a great diversity of sites or can be located in a restricted place. What defines the space of the territory in which a species can be found Or no, it is the so -called Distribution area And it is determined by characteristics of the group of individuals, such as the ability to adapt and dispersion, evolutionary history, interactions with other groups of organisms and the abiotic factors of the environment.

The presence of a species in a certain site implies that, from its place of origin, it has managed to disperse through various mechanisms, such as migrations or deliberate or accidental transport by the human being in the case of animals; and in plants, by dispersion of fruits, seeds and pollen, either through the wind, water, through animals or people.

Organisms can survive within certain limits and the greater the amplitude within these the species will be more “plastic”, that is, it may adapt to a large number of variables (humidity, temperature, light, among others) thus occupying broader territories. This characteristic is one of those that defines the cosmopolitan species And in the next sections we tell you what is a cosmopolitan species and what examples exist.

What is a cosmopolitan species

A Cosmopolitan species or with Universal distribution is that which can be anywhere in the worldthat is, it has a wide geographical distribution. That a species is cosmopolitan does not mean that we will find it in every corner of the planet, but that it will be able to inhabit those environments that are conducive to its survival and these are varied.

In a strict sense, The human being It could be considered the only cosmopolitan species in the globe, so that definition should not be taken literally and must be reserved for those organisms that have an extended distribution on the continents and oceans.

Examples of cosmopolitan species

So what examples exist? These are some examples of cosmopolitan species:

Examples of cosmopolitan plants

Data recovered from Lacoste (1973) indicate that, of the 160,000 known species of upper plants, only 25 of them have cosmopolitan distribution and two of them are:

  • Water lentil (Lemna Minor)which is one of the smallest aquatic plants that exists. It is rapid growth and lives in calm water bodies such as lakes and lagoons. Did you know that he is able to accumulate toxic compounds in his tissues? This characteristic transforms it into an important species for the treatment of contaminated water.
  • The gramon (Cynodon Dactylon)which is a common fodder herb in gardens, parks, sides of roads and trains roads. It is considered as “weed” by farmers because it competes strongly with species of agronomic interest and in many places, where it has arrived accidentally and has managed to establish itself, is considered “invasive.” Meet invasive species here: what are, examples and consequences.

Examples of cosmopolitan animals

Leaving the plants aside and entering the world of animals, we can say that people are associated with many groups of living beings who have been populating with us the planetthus acquiring a cosmopolitan distribution. For example:

  • Mice.
  • Rats
  • Doves.
  • Pets, such as dog and cat.
  • Farm animals, such as cow, sheep, goat and horse, among others.

On the other hand, the Flying insects and birdsdue to their greater capacity for dispersion due mainly to the virtue of the flight, they have achieved a cosmopolitan distribution. Examples of them constitute them:

  • The domestic fly (Domestic musca) It is very common in homes. As much as it means a discomfort for the human being, he plays a fundamental role in the decomposition and recycling of organic matter and, in turn, is very studied for being simple to reproduce and manipulate in the laboratory, transforming it into a model organism for scientific research. We recommend reading here about what flies are for.
  • The bell off owl (Tyto Alba)a great distribution representative that by popular beliefs is considered “bad omen” because of their appearance, their vocalizations and habits of perching on sites such as church bells (hence his name). The reality is that owls are completely harmless and important pest controllers, because they feed mainly with rodents.

If we enter the aquatic ecosystems, the homogeneity of the medium transforms most marine animals into cosmopolitas. For example:

  • The orcas (Orcinus orca)judged by the human being as “murderous whales”, they are a cosmpolite species. By the way, they are not only murderous (they simply use sophisticated hunting strategies to feed), but they are not whales, since they belong to the Dolphins family. Here we clarify more about this popular doubt: Is Orca a whale?

By ending the examples of cosmopolitan species, we hope that this article has served you to solve doubts and knock down myths about the wonderful biodiversity that surrounds us. Now that you have known this better concept of cosmopolitan specieswe encourage you to know the opposite, that of Endemic speciesreading this other ecology article about endemic species: definition and examples.

Cosmopolitan species: what is and examples - examples of cosmopolitan species

Cosmopolitan species: what is and examples -

Cosmopolitan species: what is and examples -

Cosmopolitan species: what is and examples -

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Literature
  • Arroyabe, M. (2004). “The water lentil: Lemna Minor L.): a promising aquatic plant”. Available at: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1794-12372004000100004
  • “Cynodon Dactylon”. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/cynodon_dactylon
  • Diaz San Andrรฉs, A. (2019). “Distribution Areas”. Available at: https://biography.net/distribuction08.html
  • Escobar, P. (2020) “Argentine birds tells you about” His Indรก “a beautiful owl that is about mysticism and a not very encouraging reality about its species.” Available at: https://missionsonline.net/2020/03/28/aves-argentinas-te-cuenta-sobre-el-suinda-una-hermosa-lechhuza-que-se-encuentra-ntre-el-Misticismo-and-a-Rearity-No-Muy-Heater-for-Su-especie/
  • Garcรญa Codron, JC. “Biogeography”. Available at: https://ocw.unican.es/pluginfile.php/2312/mod_resource/content/1/1-inttroction.pdf
  • Lewis, JP (1995). The biosphere and its ecosystems: an introduction to ecology. ECOSUR
  • “Domestic Fly”. Available at: https://hmong.es/wiki/housefly
  • “Killer whale”. Available at: https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/es/destacados/vida-silvestre/orca
  • Audubon Network “Campanario owl”. Available at: https://www.audubon.org/es/guia-de-aves/ave/lechuza-de-campanario
Kyle Muller
About the author
Dr. Kyle Muller
Dr. Kyle Mueller is a Research Analyst at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department in Houston, Texas. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in 2019, where his dissertation was supervised by Dr. Scott Bowman. Dr. Mueller's research focuses on juvenile justice policies and evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing recidivism among youth offenders. His work has been instrumental in shaping data-driven strategies within the juvenile justice system, emphasizing rehabilitation and community engagement.
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