AP®︎ Human Geography: Topic 5.10 Flashcards

Conversion of Earth’s surface from one cover type to another, such as forest or wetland to cropland or pasture

Removal of topsoil by wind or water, often accelerated by clearing vegetation, leaving fields bare, or cultivating unprotected slopes

Decline in soil quality and productivity through erosion, nutrient depletion, compaction, salinization, or other damage

Damage caused when sediment, fertilizers, pesticides, animal waste, salts, or other agricultural by-products move beyond their intended location

Excess nutrients cause rapid algal or plant growth whose decomposition depletes dissolved oxygen and can create aquatic dead zones

Chemical or biological agents used to control agricultural pests that may also harm nontarget species and contaminate soil or water

Increase in the concentration of a persistent pollutant at successively higher trophic levels of a food chain

Decline of groundwater when withdrawals exceed natural aquifer recharge, lowering the water table

Accumulation of soluble salts in soil to levels that reduce plant growth, especially under irrigation in dry climates

Degradation of productive land in dry environments until it becomes less fertile and more desert-like

The population an environment can support over time without long-term degradation

Land-clearing technique in which vegetation is cut, dried, and burned to clear a field and release nutrients as ash

Agricultural system in which a plot is cultivated briefly, left fallow to recover, and replaced temporarily by another plot

Conversion of a slope into level steps that make steep land cultivable while slowing runoff and erosion

Artificial application of water to crops to support farming where rainfall is insufficient, seasonal, or unreliable

Irrigation in which water flows across fields through channels, furrows, or flooding

Irrigation in which a pressurized system distributes water through the air over crops

Sprinkler irrigation using a rotating arm around a central point, producing circular fields visible from above

Irrigation that delivers small quantities of water near plant roots through tubes or emitters, limiting evaporation

Clearing or removal of forests, often to convert land into cropland, plantations, or livestock pasture

Removal or control of water through ditches, tiles, levees, or pumping to convert wetlands into cropland or pasture

Subsistence livelihood in which people move with domesticated livestock in search of pasture and water

Grazing that removes vegetation faster than it can regrow, exposing and compacting soil and increasing erosion

Cultivating along lines of equal elevation rather than directly down a slope to slow runoff and erosion

Planting alternating bands of crops or protective vegetation to interrupt runoff and wind erosion

Planting crops between primary harvests to keep soil covered, add organic matter, and sometimes fix nitrogen

Growing different crops in sequence to vary nutrient demands, interrupt pest cycles, and maintain soil fertility

Farming that reduces soil disturbance and leaves crop residue on the surface to limit erosion and moisture loss

Rows of trees or shrubs planted to reduce wind speed and protect soil from wind erosion

Vegetated areas beside streams that trap sediment and nutrients before they enter the water

Dividing pasture into sections and moving livestock among them so grazed vegetation can recover

Shift toward diets with more meat, dairy, vegetable oils, sugar, and processed foods as income, urbanization, and commercialization increase

Increase in women’s responsibility for farm labor or management, often as men migrate elsewhere for wage work

Agricultural production mainly for the farmer’s household or local community

Agricultural production of crops or livestock mainly for sale and profit

Managed practices that protect soil, water, vegetation, and ecosystems while maintaining agricultural productivity