What two word phrase was used to refer to the transfer in the 15th and 16th centuries of animals, plants, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the American and Afro-Eurasian hemispheres?

The Columbian Exchange refers to a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds. Exchanges of plants, animals, human populations, diseases and technology transformed European and Native American ways of life.

Beginning after Christopher Columbus' discovery in 1492 the exchange lasted throughout the years of expansion and discovery. The Columbian Exchange impacted the social and cultural makeup of both sides of the Atlantic. Advancements in agricultural production, evolution of warfare, increased mortality rates and education are a few examples of the effect of the Columbian Exchange on both Europeans and Native Americans.

In 1972, the term was first used by American historian Alfred W. Crosby in his environmental history book titled The Columbian Exchange. It was rapidly adopted by other historians and journalists; it became widely known and used in the 70s.