Could humanity be considered an invasive species?

Going to give a pre-F.U. to all the human haters getting ready to answer “yes” to this.

Definitely.
Humans’ native ecosystem was Africa, and they spread into other ecosystems all over the world.
Upon arrival, they disrupt the new ecosystems, by not only overhunting and overfishing, but by straight out destroying them through large scale deforesting, and converting existing lands to serve their agriculture, industry and residential needs.
Rivers are rerouted, lakes and swamps drained, areas flooded to make space for artificial lakes and dams, environments polluted, poisoned and irradiated.
They even introduce other non-human invasive species, either by accident or intent.
Entire species have been rendered extinct by human activity.
Do you know why there are “hunting seasons”? They exist because humans have destroyed the natural predator population.

Humans are not just an invasive species, they are the invasive species.
It is indisputable.
Rage all you want about “Human haters”, fuelled by your own unwarranted sense of self importance and unjustified belief of your own supremacy, rooted in your subconscious knowledge and inescapable realisation that you are worthless.
You can ignore the truth.
Dread it. Run from it.
Destiny arrives all the same.

Not at first but we effectively evolved into a very reasonable facsimile of a invasive species, like a cancer.

Not until the invention of agriculture. That’s what led to the proliferation of human beings across the planet and to the extinction of thousands of species of animals and plants. We’re not only making the planet uninhabitable for other forms of life we are busy making it uninhabitable for ourselves as well. That’s the definition of an invasive species, an new animal or plant that brings about uncontrolled destruction.

I’d say yes. ,

Being populous is not invasive. Invasive is a term given to species indigenous to a particular environment which is suddenly transferred to a new environment by an outside source, which has a profound effect on the new environment. That would include eggs carried in the feathers of a bird, or on a ship’s hull.
Humans are nomadic.

Invasive species? No. We are native to earth as well. Much the way weeds that are native to an area will spread, humans spread in an uncontrolled way. Unlike the weed, we have no natural predators. That is not to say humans do not harm the ecosystems around the world and the world itself.

Eh. Invasive just means successful. Sure it can create imbalance in systems, but life adapts, or the species burns itself out.

As a human, I am selfishly concerned with the fate of humans. Interestingly this requires concern for the other species of this world, which we are much more capable of than any other species ever.

One can say no (or yes) based on semantic or conceptual arguments if one wants to.

But the problems an ecosystem faces from what’s called an invasive species, are very like the problems an ecosystem faces from human behavior that is unlike the previous activity in the ecosystem (when there may have been humans, but they were a relatively small part of what was going on in the ecosystem).

Agriculture, industry, and pervasive road and settlement construction, as well as driving multiple species extinct (or to very low levels) and changing the temperature and acid levels, and introducing new chemicals and garbage pits and so on, altering the food chain, etc., are all akin to the arrival of major invasive species, but far more severe.

Not to mention – what is the main cause of invasive species introduction? (Answer: human activity)

Also, what’s the word “invasive” in invasive species about, if not a metaphor for human military conquest?

TLDR: Don’t flatter modern humans by comparing their destructive effects to mere invasive non-human species.

@Patty_Melt “Indigenous” in our case is Africa.

It does not matter whether a species ends up some place new due to pure chance, or if it is intentional, as in the case of humans. The critical factor is whether the new species poses a threat to local species. There is no question that humans satisfy the definition, given the large number of species we have driven to extinction.

Africa was indigenous at one point in the evolutionary past. I doubt the Inuit who are adapted to polar climates would consider Africa to be home.

Very few of us consider Africa to be “home” @Blackwater_Park. That means nothing in the context of evolution.

Modern humans came from Africa. It’s our evolutionary home.

Agent Smith said as much to Mr. Anderson.

@Dutchess_III So again, most people are not “indigenous” to Africa. Not only have groups of humans adapted to live in other climates but their culture has changed to relate more to the area in which they live. That’s what it means to be indigenous.

That’s called evolution @Blackwater_Park. 300,000 years is enough time for small changes to occur.
Now, where would you say you’re indigenous to?