What classifies as captive/cultivated

Hello,

I have been having a lot of fun uploading observations recently, but often run into difficulties with the question is this captive/cultivated? For instance, I often run into many interesting plants (ornamentals and crops) in farms, gardens, yards, etc… which are obviously cultivated. However, while they are cultivated they are not captive as seed pods can spread easily and they can interact with local biodiversity. To illustrate this point, someone in my neighbourhood planted english ivy a long time ago as an ornamental plant, but now it has “developed a mind of its own” and is taking over local ecosystems; even though it is cultivated it has made its way into wild ecosystems. On the other hand, I have run into some fungi (foliar disease and fruiting bodies) and slime molds in green houses which are captive, but not intentionally cultivated. Furthermore, I feel like the captivity of fungi, unless in a sterile laboratory environment, is very debatable as there are countless microbes which can be stirred around and introduced through various methods. I am curious how to navigate these options. Currently, I have been checking the box “captive/cultivated” if the observation fits at least one of the criteria, but I am wondering if an observation should meet both to check the box?

Thank you for your time and help,

Nicolas D. Perez

2 Likes

iNat’s chosen terminology is jargon - with a particular meaning. (Cultivated for plants does not mean ‘cared for’. Captive is applied to animals)

Fungus and slime mould will always be Wild, unless deliberately growing a food crop, or a culture in a lab. The emphasis is on the human deliberation - not where it is.

Plants at old farms, will still count as NOT Wild, since they were originally planted.

But once those plants seed themselves and spread - that IS Wild. Up to you to make a judgement call each time. Is That Plant there because someone planted it, or did it volunteer?

The formal answers from iNat’s new Help
https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/solutions/articles/151000169932-what-does-captive-cultivated-mean-
https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/solutions/articles/151000170240-why-is-inaturalist-voting-that-my-observation-is-not-wild-

11 Likes

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.