The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492

Europeans’ ability to colonize the Americas hinged on their success in importing Old World flora and fauna. This chapter highlights the themes of Ecological Imperialism and Environmental Degradation as consequences of colonization, but it explores both the positive and negative impacts of the transformation of the Americas. The New World’s landscape was forever changed by the mid-1500s. However, due to significant environmental and climate differences, Europeans had to adapt their agricultural production techniques to the various regions of the Americas and were forced to consume new foods that were indigenous to the New World. For example, they discovered that it is impossible to cultivate wheat, a staple of European diets, along the Brazilian coastline, so colonists switched to cultivation and consumption of indigenous crops like manioc (also called cassava or yuca). Furthermore, Europeans introduced native plants to areas of the continents where they had not previously grown but henceforth supported the survival and growth of their colonies.

On his second trip across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, Christopher Columbus brought a variety of European crops to the Americas, including wheat, grapevines, and sugarcane.