Final answer:
Humans in North America have affected their environment through agriculture and the introduction of diseases by Europeans, leading to significant ecosystem disruptions and societal changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Humans have extensively affected their environment in North America through various activities, two examples of which are:
- The clearing of land for agriculture has transformed prairies, wetlands, and forests into farmland, disrupting local ecosystems and leading to loss of biodiversity.
- The introduction of diseases during European colonization led to a significant decline in the native population which affected societal structures and contributed to a transformation in land use and environmental management.
In the Anthropocene era, human actions such as pollution, mining, deforestation, and ranching have led to widespread environmental concerns including climate change and mass extinctions. These transformations demonstrate the strong influence humans have on environmental factors and ecosystems.