BIO 301M Chapter Notes - Chapter 5, 8: Holmes Rolston Iii, Sea Level Rise, Waste Heat
Document Summary
Before agriculture humans were hunter gatherers-way less people then. Food supplies lead population--population increase to the level that foods will allow. Agriculture one of the worst mistakes humans ever made because it allowed us to reach out overpopulation crisis. Couldn"t have reached 7 billion w/o fossil fuels; humans exploited the one time fossil fuels to demolish any of earth"s natural ecosystems and turn them into arable land and crops to feed increasing numbers of people. Planted corn and wheat where there was once tall grass prairies in north america, led to masses of humanity. W/o agriculture there would be no cities, no civilization, no human knowledge. Deep black topsoils of the prairies made america a breadbasket" for the world allowing us to export grains to less fortunate peoples in other parts of the world w/o access to amenable climate and rich soils. In order to maintain production soils must be fertilized w nitrogen and phosphorus etc.
