5: Origins of Agriculture Flashcards
What are two key differences between hunter-gatherer and early agricultural societies?
Hunter-gatherers had diverse diets and no food storage; they were more egalitarian.
`Agricultural societies relied on fewer crops, stored surplus, and developed social hierarchies due to land ownership.
Why is dietary fibre not ideal as a main energy source in crops?
It aids digestion but isn’t digestible, so it provides little usable energy.
Why can secondary metabolites make plants unsuitable for food?
They can be toxic or unpalatable, requiring processing or selective breeding to make them safe to eat.
What is “active land management” in hunter-gatherer societies?
It’s the intentional modification of land to increase resource availability.
Example: Indigenous people in Oregon used fire to boost salmon returns and promote food plants.
Name three factors that contributed to the development of agriculture.
- Decline in wild food availability
- More desirable domesticable plants
- Increased population density
(+ tech advances enabling cultivation)
What is the “Three Sisters” system and why is it effective?
It’s a companion planting of corn, beans, and squash.
Corn supports bean vines, (carbs)
beans fix nitrogen (proteins)
squash leaves suppress weeds. (vitamins)
What does “shattering” mean in wild plants?
It’s when mature seeds fall off naturally to disperse.
Why was lack of shattering important in domesticated crops?
It made harvesting easier—grains stayed on the plant.
How is domestication an example of artificial selection?
Humans bred plants with preferred traits, like non-shattering peas, changing their genetics over time
Give an example of a trait humans selected in crops.
Non-shattering seed pods in peas or higher yield in cereals.
What three traits make a plant suitable for domestication?
- Edibility
- Storability
- High yield potential
How did crops spread globally after agriculture developed?
Through trade networks, like Muslim trade routes (900–1400 AD) linking Europe and Asia.
How did the Industrial Revolution affect agriculture?
Advances in biology (Linnaeus, Darwin, Mendel) improved plant breeding and farming efficiency.
First agriculture was how many years ago?
12,000 YA
