APHUG Module 33.1,2: Intro to Agriculture - PDF

APHUG Module 33.1,2: Intro to Agriculture Learning Goals #1 and #2 out of 3 in Module 33. Kirsten Leopoldo LG 33.1: How does Farming Intersect with...

APHUG Module 33.1,2: Intro to Agriculture Learning Goals #1 and #2 out of 3 in Module 33. Kirsten Leopoldo LG 33.1: How does Farming Intersect with the Natural Environment? Free Responses: 1.​ List the three characteristics of arable land’s soil. (Soil is only found right at the surface of the Earth, and it’s a very precious resource we need to survive!) What is the difference between #2 and #3 in this list of characteristics? The three characteristics of arable land’s soil are that it has to have a crumbly texture that allows water and air to travel to the plants roots, it has to have a rich base of organic matter, and it has to have various types of microorganisms that would help decompose the organic matter from the surface so that an upper layer of topsoil could be created. The difference between #2 and #3 in this list of characteristics is that the organic matter is dependent on the microorganisms in order to successfully decompose, in other words, the organic material is a dependent characteristic while microorganisms are independent characteristics. 2.​ As you move away from the Earth’s core, only the last couple of inches of the solid planet can actually grow any food, and in most places, even it cannot grow food. That last few inches, in some places, is what we call SOIL. Why is it critical for today’s farmers to avoid damaging or washing away this particular dirt? It is critical for today’s farmers to avoid damaging or washing away this particular dirt because it is important in agriculture. Soil is the main type of dirt that supports the growth of plants due to having an abundance of nutrients that is formed in the topsoil by organic materials and microorganisms. It is important to protect the soil in the last couple of inches of the Earth so that we can grow crops to support human and animal life, and also because it helps people economically as they can make profit off of the crops that they grow.  3.​ The shape of the land partially determines what farming goes on there. ​ What is our APHG term for “the shape of land”? Why do farmers in the pictured area raise animals instead of growing plants? The APHG term for the “shape of land” would be topography. Farmers in the pictured area raise animals instead of growing plants because the land is too hilly, steep, uneven, and seems too high in elevation for crops to grow, as said in the book, vegetation decreases in higher elevations. Farmers would rather grow crops on flatter and more even lands. VOCABULARY LEARNING: Copy the formatting below. There are 7 terms in this LG. 1. Agriculture: The planting and harvesting of crops and the raising of animals for food 2. Domesticated plant: A plant that is planted, protected, cared for on purpose by humans and is genetically modified 3. Domesticated Animal: An animal that depends on humans for food and shelter and acts differently due to close contact with humans. 4. Farmers : Farmers who raise animals and crops to sell and make profit rather than using them for own consumption 5. Physical geography: The study of Earth’s physical features and processes and the effect of it on humans and humans effect on it, as well as how they work. 6. Nutrients: Components of topsoil that are necessary for plant growth, survival, and reproduction. 7. Topography: The arrangement of shapes on Earth. YOU ACTUALLY DID READ THIS, SO YOU NOTICED … : What ideas, pictures, examples from this section might be asked later? 1.​ Nutrients in the topsoil are absorbed through the plants roots -​ Examples are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium 2.​ Topsoil is 2 to 8 inches below ground level and is the dark brown soil located right under the grass. 3.​ Pictures about topography: -​ figure a: steep slopes and hills that are too steep for planting crops but can raise sheep and cattle -​ figure b: flat plains that are typical in the US and southern Canada have fertile soils that support grain farming. -​ figure c: A mountainous landscape in Colorado with shrubs, trees, grass, and low elevations to support livestock. Vegetation decreases with higher elevations. LG 33.2: What is Climate?  How does it influence agriculture? Free Responses: 1.​ Senator Thompson said: “People say the climate is getting warmer, but I just saw that it is SNOWING today, and it’s already March! It should be warm today, but it’s not! If the Earth was getting warmer, I doubt there’d be snow today in town.” Why is this thinking incorrect? This thinking is incorrect because he is mixing up the word climate with weather. Climate is a region’s average pattern of weather over an extended period, while weather is an atmospheric condition that is subject to change by the day. The people could be correct when they are saying the climate is getting warmer because of data that shows an increase in temperature in comparison to temperatures from years ago in the region. With this, Senator Thompson is incorrect as the conditions of one day cannot reflect an overall change in climate, especially considering that he said it should be warm and that snow was not expected in town. 2.​ What agricultural climate groups are in the area of the contiguous 48 states (also called “the lower 48”) of the United States? Describe the location of the United States lower 48’s biggest four agricultural regions (pink, green, yellow and orange are the biggest in figure 33.3!) NOTE: these colors do NOT mean that it’s the only thing farmers do there. It only means it’s more common than any other kind of farming there.) The agricultural climate groups that are in the area of the contiguous 48 states of the US are humid continental, humid subtropical, semiarid, and arid. Humid continental climates are common in the midwest, meaning that they have four seasons, variation of temperature and day to day weather pattern variation. Humid subtropical climate is common in the south, meaning they have long, hot summers and short, mild winters. Semiarid climates are common in the southwest, meaning they receive 10 to 20 inches of rainfall and can support farming. Lastly, arid climates are common generally along the west, meaning they receive less than 10 inches of rainfall. 3.​ What kind of farms would you probably see if you were in a tropical jungle region (tropical wet)? These are very poor regions. What would be a negative effect of TOO MUCH rain on a farmer growing crops? The kinds of farms you would see in a tropical jungle region would be small farms that are owned by migrant farmers which are also family operated. The negative effect of having too much rain on a farmer that is growing crops is that it stops crops from growing. This is because too much rain could fill up in the plant’s root and prevent air from passing through the root, which is needed to reach the root for plant growth. Additionally, too much rain may also wash away any nutrients in the topsoil which are important for plant survival, growth, and reproduction.  4.​ African grasslands (savannahs) dry up each year but are replenished by monsoons. What life forms in the African plains might suffer if the monsoons become smaller? List several. Life forms that may suffer if the monsoons in African plains become smaller are crops, plants, humans, and animal life such as zebras, lions, hyenas, antelopes, and elephants as all of these organisms rely on rainfall and the growing of plants for survival. 5.​ Why are people who live and grow food in semi-arid (steppe) regions like Mongolia at severe risk of starvation if Earth’s climate warms up? People who live and grow food in semi-arid regions are at severe risk of starvation if Earth’s climate warms up because this would decrease their average annual rainfall, resulting in a loss of support for the farming of plants and crops which are important for human life. This is especially a severe risk as these regions already face long periods of droughts as a result of being surrounded by deserts, and this alone is already damaging to their production of crops. 6.​ Did you know that hot, humid summers are generally found on the EAST coast of continents? List a major city that has warm, humid summers on the East coast of North America, East coast of South America, East coast of Africa, and East coast of Asia, and East coast of Australia. A major city that has warm, humid summers on the East coast of North America is Raleigh, North Carolina, in the East coast of South America Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the East coast of Africa, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the East coast of Asia, Beijing, China, and in the East coast of Australia, Sydney. 7.​ The mildest and easiest climate for humans to tolerate is called the Mediterranean climate. Much of Southern California has it. What do you like about it? I like that the mediterranean climate of Southern California is very comfortable, I have not really experienced weather ever being too hot or too cold in California, which certainly makes the climate tolerable. I like how we are exposed to lots of sunny skies, but I specifically like how the air in California feels fresh. The air never really feels too stuffy or dry, which again contributes to comfortability. Lastly, I like how we don’t have consistent rainfall, because I like the rain, but I’m only able to tolerate and like it since it occurs so occasionally. VOCABULARY LEARNING: Copy the formatting below. There are 15 terms in this LG. 1. Climate: A particular region’s average pattern of weather over a longer period of time. 2. Weather: Day-to-day atmospheric conditions that are less consistent and can change with each day. etc. 3. Tropical wet climates: Located along the equator and experiences rainfall everyday which supports tropical rainforests 4. Tropical wet and dry climates: Located along the equator and has a dry season with little to no rain, usually in the winter, and is often subject to monsoons. 5. Monsoon: A seasonal shift in winds that causes moist weather and rainfall in the summer and dry conditions in the winter. 6.Monsoon rain: Long periods of heavy rainfall at the end of a short dry season, everyday 7. Arid: A climate receives less than 10 inches of rainfall annually 8. Semiarid/steppe: A climate receives 10 to 20 inches of rainfall annually and can support farming 9. Moderate climates: a climate that has an average temperature of 75F and is found north and south of the equator on the edges of tropical climates. 10. Humid subtropical climate: A climate with long, hot summers and short, mild winters with varying precipitation and found on east coasts. 11. Marine West Coast climate: A climate found on west coasts, closer to the poles and is characterized by long summers and cool winters as ocean breeze is brought by warmer oceans and cooler air is brought by polar winds. 12. Mediterranean climate: A climate with winter precipitation, mild winters, and clear sunny skies along the mediterranean sea and in coastal areas. 13. Continental climate: A climate that has a large range of temperatures and moderate precipitation, found in the interior of continents. Found only in the northern hemisphere across North America and Eurasia. They experience continentality and do not have influence by the oceans. 14. Humid continental climates: wide range of temperatures, moderate precipitation, four seasons, warm to hot summers, and cold snowy winters. Day-to-day variation in weather pattern. 15. Humid cold climates: A climate with very cold temperatures, found in the northern continental climate zone, sometimes called subarctic. YOU ACTUALLY DID READ THIS, SO YOU NOTICED … : What ideas, pictures, examples from this section might be asked later? 1.​ The tropical, moderate, and continental climate groups are primarily defined by temperature while the dry climate group is primarily defined by precipitation. 2.​ Climate is what mainly affects the success of agriculture because it helps farmers determine what crops to grow or animals to raise. -​ Given ex: oranges do not grow where winters are cold and snowy. 3.​ There are 4 types of climate: -​ Tropical: tropical wet, tropical wet and dry -​ Dry: Semiarid, arid -​ Moderate: Humid subtropical, Marine west coast, mediterranean -​ Continenta: humid continental, humid cold (subarctic) 4.​ Tropical climates are located along the equator and have an average temperature of 80F. 5.​ Tropical wet climates support tropical rainforest such as the Amazon River and Congo River Basins. 6.​ Agriculture is limited in rainforests and take place on small scales such as in villages or small farms which are usually family run. 7.​ Examples of monsoon rains: in the african savanna, grasslands turn brown and sources of water begin to dry up until the rainy season begins. 8.​ In dry climates, rainfall is scarce, and temperatures can be very hot in subtropical deserts such as the sahara, or they can range from very hot in summer to extremely cold in winter. 9.​ Semiarid climates usually surround deserts and can have year-long periods of severe drought. 10.​Moderate climates only have summer and winter, have seasonal temperature changes, and its subcategories are defined by rainfall or snowfall. 11.​Sydney, Australia - Beijing, China - Raleigh, North Carolina have humid subtropical climates 12.​The most extensive marine west coast climate is in western and central europe because mountains block wind currents. 13.​Seattle, Washington and Dunedin, New Zealand are typical marine west coast climates. 14.​Three distinct features of Mediterranean climate: -​ winter precipitation 15 inches close to equator and 25 inches closer to poles -​ mild winter temperatures averaging 50F. -​ clear sunny skies especially in summer. 15.​Examples of humid continental climate includes chicago, illinois, and shenyang, China.