Lecture 19: Agriculture Flashcards
What is domestication?
A change in the gene pool of a plant or animal resulting from a coevolutionary process.
How does domestication occur?
Artificial selection: humans manipulate breeding to select for certain phenotypic traits by reproducing individuals who possess those traits.
What was the green revolution?
A period of agricultural increase by the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties, modern agricultural technologies, and intensive farming practices
What are GMOs?
genetically modified organisms: Creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods
Why are antibiotics used in agriculture
to increase yield and density of crops & livestock
What are some ways agriculture has changed biotic and abiotic environment of the earth?
distribution of biomass
deforestation
GHG emission
eutrophication
soil erosion
freshwater depletion
How does livestock affect erosion?
heavy grazing and plowing break up soil which results in loss of topsoil (dust bowl) and depletion of nutrients
How did agriculture shape human society?
Greater amounts of reliable food
sedentary lifestyle
division of labour
land degradation
land ownership
How has agriculture changed our bodies?
Starchier foods means more cavities
reduced skeletal robustness (smaller jaw, shorter stature)
Zoonotic diseases
