Chapter 12: Agriculture

Agriculture has neatively impacted the planet by

-erosion

-clearing of land and forests

-diverting waterways

-toxic gases, waste

-draining soil of nutrients

purpose of argiculture

is to feed over 8 billion people

Homo sapients are about 200,000 - 300,000 years old

→mostly hunter-gathers

→agriculture about 10,000 - 12,000 years ago

do hunter-gatherer groups still exist

yes, hunter-gatherer groups still exist

archaeological data and radiocarbon dating

-fossilized plants and animals

-coprolites (fossilized waste)

-tools, art/drawings, pottery

Agriculture areas

-the near east

→fertile crescent (southwest Asia areas like Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel)

→domesticated plants (barley, wheat, lentil, vetch)

→domesticated animals (cattle, sheep, goats)

-the far east

→areas along the yellow and Yangtze River valleys (china)

→domesticated plants: millet, hemp, and rice

→domesticated animals: cattle, pigs, poultry

-the new world

→americas

→domesticated plants: corn, chili peppers, avocado, potatoes, beans, and squash

→domesticated animals: turkeys, alpacas

domesticated plants

-want traits that benefit us

(modern) corn :

-dependent of the ancestor, teosinte

-husk

-larger with more kernels on the ear

(modern) wheat:

-non-shattering head

wild plants