Difference Between The Old World And The Columbian Exchange
Upon the arrival of the Europeans to North America in 1492, there began a massive transformation in the global ecosystem resulting from the exchange of flora, fauna, and disease between the Old World and the New. This interchange of native life-forms was called the Columbian Exchange by historian Alfred Crosby in his book of that title.
Centuries of geographic isolation had led to the divergent evolution of flora and fauna in North America and Europe. In the New World, Europeans encountered indigenous plant foods, often cultivated by Native Americans, such as potatoes, beans, squash, and maize (corn), probably the world's most important cereal crop. These plants carried back to Europe so enriched nutrition in the Old World that they stimulated
Centuries of geographic isolation had led to the divergent evolution of flora and fauna in North America and Europe. In the New World, Europeans encountered indigenous plant foods, often cultivated by Native Americans, such as potatoes, beans, squash, and maize (corn), probably the world's most important cereal crop. These plants carried back to Europe so enriched nutrition in the Old World that they stimulated