Final answer:
Cultural adaptation refers to the changes made by human societies to adjust to their physical environment, including societal innovations and shifts in practices. Environmental determinism describes how the environment shapes cultures in deterministic ways. Cultural ecology studies the interactions between cultural practices and the environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ability of civilizations to adapt to their region's physical environment is most accurately described by Cultural adaptation. This concept encompasses the changes made by human societies to become better suited to their environment, which includes shifting practices and innovations like the use of fire for cooking and warmth or the practice of farming. It signifies an active process where humans adjust and transform their culture in response to their surrounding physical conditions. Environmental determinism, on the other hand, is a related but distinct concept where environmental factors are thought to have deterministic effects on cultures, shaping them in definitive ways without necessarily considering the active adaptations by the people themselves.
Physical environments, which can be natural or modified, play a critical role in shaping cultural adaptations. These adaptations come about as responses to challenges posed by living in diverse environments such as islands, deserts, or colder regions where activities like ice hockey are prevalent due to cold winters. This interaction between cultural practices and the physical environment is studied as part of cultural ecology.