I saw a show on the National Geographic Channel last night that has some very familiar-looking scenes. Called “America Before Columbus,” it dealt with the ecological effects of European settlement of the Americas, on both sides of the Atlantic.

If I’m not mistaken, part of it was filmed in the Black Hills. The backdrop for shots of wild mustangs running through the canyons looked a lot like the Wild Horse Sanctuary south of Hot Springs. Video of bison had the tell-tale landscape of Custer State Park.

That’s what caught my attention, but the whole program was fascinating.

According to the show, Europeans didn’t adapt to the New World; they made the New World adapt to them. And quickly. By 1500, European settlers, their plants and their animals had altered much of the Americas’ landscape.

They brought cattle and hogs, which eventually replaced bison and other indigenous animals and overgrazed the soils. They inadvertently brought dandelions and other unwelcome species. Perhaps on the plus side, the Europeans introduced everything from apples to watermelons. They also introduced the horse – which indigenous people adapted with great success.

And the potato, native to the Andes, was introduced in Europe. It became such a diet staple, especially in places such as Ireland, that it allowed Europe’s population to double.

Some factoids from the NatGeo website:

* Some 12,000 years ago, North American mammoths, ancient horses, and other large mammals vanished. The first horses in America since the Pleistocene era arrived with Columbus in 1493.

* In 1491, the Americas had few domesticated animals, and used the llama as their beast of burden.

* In 1491, more people lived in the Americas than in Europe. The first conquistadors were sailors and adventurers.

* In 1492, the Americas were not a pristine wilderness but a crowded and managed landscape.

* It’s believed that the domestication of the turkey began in pre-Columbian Mexico, and did not exist in Europe in 1491.

By the way, the show repeats Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

Here’s more on the subject: America Before Columbus.