image: Enlargement of a section of this late, simplified version of Humboldt's sketch of Andean vegetation highlights the cave of Antisana. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Pierre Moret.
Researchers report a resurvey of the Andean mountains depicted in Alexander von Humboldt's 1807 diagram Tableau Physique. Humboldt's diagram is considered a foundational document in the study of biogeography and presents vegetation belts on Mt. Chimborazo and Cotopaxi in Ecuador. Pierre Moret, Olivier Dangles, and colleagues re-examined the data presented in the Tableau Physique in the context of current climate change, which can effect upward shifts of vegetation belts. The authors revisited the original texts of Humboldt's expedition and found that the data presented in the diagram have not undergone critical examination, and sections of the diagram, particularly near the snow line, are unverified. Historical documents suggested that the mountain Humboldt surveyed was actually Mt. Antisana, and the authors resurveyed the vegetation on that mountain to compare with Humboldt's original observations. The authors traced the route followed by Humboldt and rediscovered a cave at an elevation of 4,860 meters where Humboldt had stopped with Aimé Bonpland to collect plants. The resurvey showed that the highest living plants are at altitudes 215-266 meters higher than in the early 1800s, consistent with upslope range shifts observed worldwide. According to the authors, the results offer insight into Humboldt's scientific process and also call for caution in using historical data as a resource for studying modern changing environments.
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Article #19-04585: "Humboldt's Tableau Physique revisited," by Pierre Moret, Priscilla Muriel, Ricardo Jaramillo, and Olivier Dangles.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Pierre Moret, Toulouse University, FRANCE; tel: (+33)679075511; e-mail: <moret@univ-tlse2.fr>; Olivier Dangles, Université de Montpellier, FRANCE, tel: (+33)647885404; e-mail: <olivier.dangles@ird.fr>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences