The "Columbian Exchange" Summarized

Before 1492, the world's two halves had very different plants and animals; they were like separate ecological zones (Mann). Historian Alfred W. Crosby named the Columbian Exchange to describe what happened when these ecosystems collided and mixed. European ships moved tons of species across the ocean on purpose, and by accident (Mann). This huge transfer of living things gave us the crops and goods we know worldwide now, like tomatoes in Italy, oranges in the U.S., and chili peppers in Thailand (Mann). Some ecologists even think the Columbian Exchange was arguably the most important thing to happen since the dinosaurs died, because it totally changed the world's ecology.


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