colonization

Scientific  

/ kŏl′ə-nĭ-zā′shən /

1. The spreading of a species into a new habitat. For example, flying insects and birds are often the first animal species to initiate colonization of barren islands formed by vulcanism or falling water levels. The first plant species to colonize such islands are often transported there as airborne seeds or through the droppings of birds.

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Example Sentences

When Monroe declared the Americas off limits to “future colonization by any European powers,” the U.S. didn’t really have the means or motive to meddle abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal

U.S. intervention in the region dates back 200 years, when President James Monroe declared Latin America off limits to European colonization and began a campaign to establish the U.S. as a hemispheric power.

From Los Angeles Times

Slower colonization could delay carbon decomposition and reduce habitat formation for the many species that typically live inside Xylophaga burrows.

From Science Daily

Although raised-field agriculture eventually ended -- likely because of population decline and social upheaval after European colonization -- this does not diminish the effectiveness of these systems.

From Science Daily

But as Atlantic colonization expanded, England—like Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and France—gradually became more involved in the slave trade.

From The Wall Street Journal