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Soil and Natural Vegetation

Soil and Natural Vegetation. CGC1D Fri, Feb 28, 2014. Soil. Soil is a naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose material on the surface of the earth, capable of supporting life Soil is made up of four components (MOMA):

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Soil and Natural Vegetation

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  1. Soil and Natural Vegetation CGC1D Fri, Feb 28, 2014

  2. Soil • Soil is a naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose material on the surface of the earth, capable of supporting life • Soil is made up of four components (MOMA): • Minerals- come from a parent material (rock), provides nutrients to plants • Organic Material/ Bacteria- decaying materials release nutrients • Moisture- dissolves nutrients, decays organic materials • Air- roots need air pockets. Created by worms, insects, and small animals that burrow in the soil • Copy the

  3. Soil Profile Rich in organic materials Dark brown/ black Mineral and organic laterlighter brown Where soil is “made”

  4. Natural Vegetation Plants need moisture and heat in order to survive Natural vegetation refers to those plants that grow without any human interference. There are 3 main types of natural vegetation in Canada: tundra, forest, and grassland. Canada is divided into 7 natural vegetation regions:

  5. Deciduous Forest

  6. Tundra Far North- above the treeline shrubs, mosses, lichens, small flowers Cold, short growing season Very little precipitation (<400 mm) Thin soils, permafrost.

  7. Boreal and Taiga Forest to the south of the Tundra Mostly Coniferous (needle-bearing) trees Longer growing season than Tundra More precipitation than Tundra Grey, shallow, acidic soil.

  8. Mixed Forest Transition zone between Boreal and Deciduous forests Both deciduous and coniferous trees Active lumber industry Warm summers, cool winters Regular, abundant precipitation Deep, grey-brown topsoil, rich in minerals Well suited to farming Disappearing in the southern regiondue to farming, transportationroutes, and urbanization.

  9. Deciduous Forest A very small region in Canada Found in SW Ontario Has mostly been cleared for farming and urban development Long, hot summers, mild winters, lots of rain Hardwood trees: maple, beech, ash Dark brown topsoil rich in minerals, most fertile soils in Eastern Canada.

  10. Grasslands climate is too dry for most species of trees to survive Some trees along river valleys Native grasses everywhere Short-grass prairie: driest areas to the south, unsuitable for most crops. Used for grazing cattle. Long-grass prairie: increased precipitation, rich black soil Parkland: transition zone between prairie and boreal forest.

  11. Parkland Long Grass Prairie Short Grass Prairie

  12. Cordilleran Vegetation This region has a wide range of soils, temperatures, rainfall, and elevations Varies from large coniferous forests in wetter locations to grasses and cacti in drier regions.

  13. West Coast Forest Lush rainforests Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, red cedar Heavy rainfall Mild climate.

  14. Ecozones • Anecozone is an area of the earth’s surface that has a unique combination of plants, wildlife, climate, landforms, and human activities. • If you were to overlay or combine the climate, landforms, soil (and vegetation) regions of Canada, you would see patterns emerge resulting in Canada’s 15 terrestrial (land) ecozones + + =

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