some of Unit 5 hgap vocab

Domestication

Selective breeding of plants and animals by humans to make them more useful

First Agricultural Revolution

Shift from hunting-gathering to farming and permanent settlements

Mesoamerica

Region including Mexico and Central America where early agriculture developed

Biodiversity

Variety of plant and animal life in an area

Fertile Crescent

Southwest Asian region where early farming began

Indus River Valley

Early civilization region along the Indus River in South Asia

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas after 1492

Second Agricultural Revolution

Improvements in farming from new tools and techniques in the 1700s–1800s

Mechanical reaper

Machine that harvests crops efficiently

Agrichemicals

Chemical products used to increase agricultural production

Synthetic fertilizer

Man-made nutrients added to soil to boost crop growth

Pesticide

Chemical used to kill insects and pests

Herbicide

Chemical used to kill weeds

Nutrient pollution

Excess nutrients contaminating water systems

Runoff

Water that carries soil and chemicals into waterways

Green Revolution

Use of high-yield crops and modern farming methods

Crossbreeding

Breeding plants or animals with different traits

Hybrid

Offspring produced from crossbreeding

Double-cropping

Planting two crops on the same field in one year

Multicropping

Growing multiple crops on the same land

Hierarchical diffusion

Spread of ideas from important places to others

Endemic

Native to a specific place

Environmental contamination

Pollution of land, air, or water

Soil salinization

Build-up of salt in soil reducing fertility

Soil salinity

Amount of salt present in soil

Rural area

Region with low population density

Rural settlement

Community located in the countryside

Agricultural landscape

Visible features of land shaped by farming

Settlement patterns

Ways people organize living spaces

Clustered settlement

Homes grouped closely together

Farmstead

Individual farm with isolated buildings

Dispersed settlement

Homes spread out over large area

Linear settlement

Settlement arranged along a road or river

Survey methods

Systems used to divide land

Cadastral survey

Official land measurement showing boundaries

Metes and bounds

Land survey using landmarks

Township and range

Grid-based land survey system

Long-lot survey system

Narrow land plots stretching from river or road