Question

While the domestication of plants and animals led to a more stable food supply in the Holocene, it also resulted in significant problems. Describe three of these central problems.

Answer 1

The domestication of plants and animals led to a less-diverse diet with nutritional risks, vulnerability to crop failures and famines, and ecological impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems.

Step-by-step explanation:

While the domestication of plants and animals during the Holocene led to a more stable food supply, it resulted in several significant problems. One major issue was the development of a less-diverse diet compared to hunter-gatherers, leading to potential nutritional deficiencies due to reliance on staple crops. Another problem was that agricultural societies could suffer from crop failures due to disease, drought, or warfare, resulting in food scarcity and famine. Lastly, the domestication process resulted in ecological impacts, including a reduction in biodiversity, as domesticated species often displaced local flora and fauna and changed natural ecosystems.