lec 5

Question 1

what were some +/- of being a nomad? why may we have given up the nomadic lifestyle?

Answer 1

+ extensive knowledge of the land
- couldn’t every accrue that much material goods at one time

we may have given up the nomadic lifestyle because it was risky and settling gave us stability

Question 2

what was the earliest agricultural settlement? what made it successful?

Answer 2

fertile crescent to the east of the mediterranean, spreading throughout present day iran + iraq

successful bc water was plentiful (persian gulf, tigris river, euphrates river, nile river)

Question 3

what were ancient civilizations characterized by?

Answer 3

• hierarchical stratification
• symbolic communication (writing system)
• specialization of labour
• separation from the natural environ

Question 4

im starting a civilization and im looking to domesticate a plant. what criteria should i have?

Answer 4

• annual
• self pollinating
• can be easily stored/dried down
• adaptable to disturbances
• easily propagated

Question 5

what was the evolution of domesticating plants like in terms of planting them

Answer 5

1. threw seeds about and hoped for the best
2. used tools to dig lil holes
3. animal plowing

Question 6

how have we incited artificial selection

Answer 6

• size
• taste
• less # of seeds
• sweeter fruit
• less prickly vegetables
• cereals w large panicles
• non-seed-shattering plants

Question 7

theoretically natural selection should take out these less fit plants. why are they still around?

Answer 7

we grow them + protect them to make sure they survive. this means they are reliant on us

Question 8

what were the first plants to be domesticated for agriculture?

Answer 8

peas, lentils, wheat, barley

rice in asia, potatoes in south america

Question 9

what was the first civilization we know? where was it located?

Answer 9

sumer, between the tigris and euphrates river

Question 10

what was the name of the civilization in present day pakistan/western india?

Answer 10

the indus valley aka harappan civilization aka saraswati civ

Question 11

what were the eight origins of domesticated crops, according to nikolai vavilov?

Answer 11

1. china
   2a. indo-malay
   2b. indo-burma
2. central asia
3. fertile crescent
4. mediterranean
5. ethiopia
6. south mexico + central america
   8a. peru, ecuador, bolivia
   8b. brazil-paraguay
   8c. chile

Question 12

where was corn domesticated? what was its ancestor?

Answer 12

southern mexico, derived from a wild grass

Question 13

weeds may sometimes be selected along with crops. why is this an issue?

Answer 13

• weed seeds get mixed in w crop seeds
• difficult to remove entire weed
• weeds produce many seeds at once + disperse them quickly
• weeds can stay dormant as seeds for a long time

Question 14

what was the columbian exchange?

Answer 14

big movement of crops to more suitable environments (alongside colonization + slavery :/)

Question 15

where were the following crops domesticated?
- corn
- wheat
- barley
- soybeans
- peanuts
- potatoes

Answer 15

corn: mesoamerica
wheat: fertile crescent
barley: fertile crescent
soybeans: china
peanuts: central/south america
potatoes: south america