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E.Q.: How does soil quality affect the characteristics of an ecosystem?

E.Q.: How does soil quality affect the characteristics of an ecosystem?. Soil is one of the most valuable abiotic factors in an ecosystem because everything that lives on land depends directly or indirectly on soil.

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E.Q.: How does soil quality affect the characteristics of an ecosystem?

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  1. E.Q.: How does soil quality affect the characteristics of an ecosystem?

  2. Soil is one of the most valuable abiotic factors in an ecosystem because everything that lives on land depends directly or indirectly on soil. -Soil has an affect on what types of plants can grow in an ecosystem, which affects the type of organisms that can survive there. -If the soil quality of an ecosystem were to change, the ecosystem and life in it could also change. -Soil quality is determined based on properties that can be observed (qualitatative) and measured (quantitative).

  3. Observable (qualitative) properties of soil 1. Soil Profile -soil forms in layers, or horizons, and all the layers make up the soil profile. -a mature soil profile consists of three layers – topsoil, subsoil, and parent material above bedrock. -Topsoil that is nutrient rich, containing a mixture of humus (decayed plant and animal matter), clay, and minerals is most suitable for plant growth. -Most animals live in the topsoil horizon.

  4. Observable (qualitative) properties of soil 2. Composition (what its made of) -soil is a mixture of rock particles, minerals, decayed organic material, air, and water. -decayed organic matter in soil is called humus. -the sand, silt, and clay portion of soil comes from weathered bedrock material. -the combination of these materials in soils determines the soil type and affects the type of plants that can grow in it or animals that can live in it. -Factors that may affect soil type are the types of plants, climate, time, and slope of the land.

  5. Observable (qualitative) properties 3. Texture (how the particles are arranged) -soil texture depends on the size of the individual soil particles and is determined by the relative proportions of particle sizes that make up the soil. -texture names may include loam, sandy clay loam, silt loam, or clay depending upon the percent of sand, silt, and clay in the soil sample. -the texture affects the amount of water that can be absorbed for use by plants and animals. • Particle size -soil particles are classified by size ranging from coarse sand to very fine sand to silt, and finally to the smallest particle, clay. -Soil particles that are larger than 2mm are called gravel. -Particle size also affects the amount of water that can be absorbed and used by plants and animals.

  6. Measureable (quantitative) properties of soil • Permeability -soil particles have open spaces (pores) between them that let water flow through. -how freely the water flows is the permeability of the soil. The closer the particles pack together because of particle size, the less permeable the soil is. -measuring soil permeability involves calculating the rate of drainage. 2. pH -soils can be basic or acidic and usually measure 4-10 on the pH scale. Indicators can be used to measure the pH of soils. -most plants grow best in soils with a pH of between 5 and 7. -regardless of the nutrients present in the soil, if the pH is not suitable those nutrients will be inaccessible to the organisms. -Lime is a kind of fertilizer that changes pH making the soil nutrients more accessible.

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