Final answer:
The domestication of plants and animals led to a more sedentary lifestyle by providing a stable food supply, prompting the rise of permanent settlements, specialized trades, and less reliance on nomadic hunting and gathering.
Step-by-step explanation:
How Domestication Influences Lifestyle
The domestication of plants and animals marks a significant shift towards agricultural societies from the hunter-gatherer mode of subsistence. This transition has inevitably led towards a more sedentary lifestyle for humans. About 10,000 years ago, the advent of agriculture allowed humans to cultivate plants and domesticate animals, which resulted in a more consistent and abundant food supply. Consequently, a more settled way of life emerged as populations began to grow, and permanent settlements were established.
With the ability to grow food and breed animals for various needs like food, clothing, and transportation, human societies were less reliant on nomadic hunting and gathering. This shift allowed for the development of specialized trades and crafts, as not everyone needed to focus on food production. Over time, the cultivation and selection for desired plant and animal traits led to enhanced size, taste, nutrition, and ease of growth, further supporting larger settled communities.
However, the transition to an agrarian lifestyle brought along changes in social structures, work hours, and gender roles. It has been observed that agricultural societies spent more time on labor-intensive tasks compared to hunter-gatherers, resulting in a decrease in leisure time, especially for women. This underscores how the domestication of plants and animals has been instrumental in shaping human societies, leading to the formation of villages, towns, cities, and eventually empires.