Biological Imperialism

Question 1

What is the continental explanation to epidemics?

Answer 1

The americas were isolated from the “old world” over millions of years of evolution. The old world agriculture is heavily reliant on domesticated animals: humans and their livestock share disease and germs / viruses

Question 2

what is the result of the introduction of old world plants? + examples

Answer 2

1) introduce European way of cultivating the land; plough, tilling quite deeply tends to expose to soil= erosion.., clearing land, … effect on ecology (erosion of the land, soil draining into river systems; affecting catches of fish…)
2) inadvertent introduction of weeds

Question 3

what is the result of introduction of old world animals?

Answer 3

1) First destructive effect on indigenous subsistence; pigs (many complaints that pigs are having a devastating effects on indigenous livelihoods. Europeans still considering them as private property even if they let them loose; don’t want indigenous folks killing them; source of tension)
2) horses; see article
3) cattle : open-ranch cattling; Eat crops, damage soil= de facto dispossession of people through the agency of animals
4) Rats, bees, birds… pollinate weeds from the old world = land a hand in this environmental transformation