Agron1810 Spring2026 Exam 1 Vocabulary

This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary and concepts from the Agron1810 Spring2026 exam materials, focusing on plant ecology, agronomy, and historical agriculture.

Adaptation

Changes made to a plant after it is already domesticated; subsequent improvement of a domesticated plant.

Autotrophs

Organisms (such as plants) that are self-sustaining and can make their own food using energy from the sun.

Blends

A collection of several varieties of the same crop species mixed together to take advantage of different traits.

Bronze Age

The time period that begins when humans started using bronze tools; marks the end of the Stone Age.

Center of origin

A geographic region where a crop shows high genetic diversity, valuable for plant breeding.

Domestication

The taming of wild species of plants or animals to be used by humans; genetic altering of wild plants through intentional selection.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that cannot make their own food and must obtain energy from other organisms.

Land races

Domesticated, traditional varieties of a plant species that developed through local adaptation and human influence.

Mixes

A collection of several different plant species grown together to take advantage of functional differences.

Neolithic Era

The ‘new stone’ age marked by settled agricultural societies and plant cultivation.

Paleolithic Era

The ‘old stone’ age characterized by nomadic hunter-gatherers using basic tools.

Plant anatomy

The study of plant cells and tissues.

Plant ecology

The study of the role of plants in the environment and their interactions with it.

Plant morphology

The study of plant form and life cycles.

Plant pathology

The study of plant diseases.

Plant physiology

The study of plant function and development.

Plant taxonomy

The study of the classification and naming of plants.

Stone Age

A long period in human history when people used stone tools.

Abiotic

Non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem that affect organisms.

Agroecosystem

A managed ecosystem used for agricultural production.

Biome

A large geographic region characterized by a particular climate and dominant vegetation type.

Biotic

All living components of an ecosystem, including plants and animals.

Chemical transformation

A process that changes substances at the molecular level.

Community

All interacting populations of different species living in the same area.

Cycling

The repeated movement of matter within an ecosystem.

Ecosystem

A community of organisms interacting with their abiotic environment.

Energy transformation

The conversion of energy from one form to another.

Fluxes

The rates at which energy or matter move between pools in a system.

Individual

A single organism of a species.

Input

Any material or energy added to an agroecosystem.

Leakages

Losses of energy or matter from a system that are not recycled.

Output

Materials or energy removed from an agroecosystem.

Physical transformations

Changes in form or location without altering chemical structure.

Pool

A storage location for energy or matter within a system.

Population

All individuals of the same species living in a defined area.

Primary consumer

An organism that feeds directly on producers.

Producer

An autotroph that converts solar energy into chemical energy.

Secondary consumer

An organism that feeds on primary consumers.

Cover crop

Planted after the cash crop to cover soil during the off-season.

Green manure crop

Grown to be incorporated into the soil to add organic matter and nutrients.

Annual

Completes life cycle in one year or less.

Biennial

Requires two years to complete its life cycle.

Perennial

Lives multiple years.

Hydrophytes

Plants adapted to water-saturated soils.

Mesophytes

Plants with intermediate water needs that cannot tolerate prolonged flooding.

Xerophytes

Plants adapted to very dry soils.

Dicot

Subclass of flowering plants with two cotyledons and netted venation.

Monocot

Subclass of flowering plants with one cotyledon and parallel venation.

Germination

The resumption of active growth by the embryo, leading to seed coat rupture.

Dormancy

A state in which a living seed does not germinate even when conditions are adequate.