This iconic Humboldt map may need crucial updates
Errors in an 1807 diagram cast doubt on studies of the Andes’ long-term ecological changes
An influential diagram of plants growing on the slopes of some Andes Mountains needs an update, scientists say. Created 212 years ago by German explorer Alexander von Humboldt, the Tableau Physique is still used to study how plant ranges have shifted due to climate change.
But the original diagram contains some big errors — including that some of the highest-altitude plants described as growing on one volcano were actually found on a different mountain, researchers report online May 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Humboldt continually revised and refined his diagram, but the revisions are less well-known. So modern researchers might not be using the most accurate data, the team says.