Asylum for Wayward Immigrants: Historic Ports and Colonial Settlements in Northeast North America

The arrival of Europeans along the northeastern seaboard of North America heralded the introduction of Old World flora and fauna to the region. The analysis of archaeologically recovered beetle remains suggests that many species may have journeyed across the Atlantic in ships' ballast, food stores, and other provisions. The creation of artificial habitats which occurred as a result of the fisheries and the construction of settlements provided an ecological corridor that facilitated the successful invasion of the European biota. Many of these adventive or accidentally introduced beetle species are associated with synanthropic and disturbed-land habitats which would have been mimicked in the coastal colonies. The arrival of this fauna ultimately contributed to the creation of Europeanized spaces upon the North American landscape.