Which risk increased when early maize agriculture expanded onto steeper terrain?

💡 Explanation

Surface runoff increased, triggering soil loss because the lack of terracing meant that the *sheet erosion* mechanism stripped away the topsoil as water flowed downhill. Therefore, erosion was accelerated, rather than nitrogen fixation increased or kernel size/infestation impacts worsened.

• Which feedback consequence occurs when terraces experience severe over-cultivation?
• Which mechanism led damaged Byzantine mosaics to reflect diffuse light patterns after restoration?
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• Which risk increased along extensive Roman roads due to decreased reaction time?
• Which consequence resulted from the use of chinampa raised-bed agriculture without adequate nutrient replenishment in pre-Columbian central Mexico?