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Soil and Natural Vegetation

Soil and Natural Vegetation. Physical Geography. Soil. Soil is made up of 4 main parts: Minerals Organic and Bacterial materials Moisture Air Think -MOMA . Minerals. Comes from parent material (usually rock) or loose material deposited from a glacier

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Soil and Natural Vegetation

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  1. Soil and Natural Vegetation Physical Geography

  2. Soil • Soil is made up of 4 main parts: • Minerals • Organic and Bacterial materials • Moisture • Air • Think -MOMA

  3. Minerals • Comes from parent material (usually rock) or loose material deposited from a glacier • Minerals become part of the soil when rock is broken down by weathering

  4. Organic and Bacterial Material • Dead plants and animals are decomposed by bacteria in soil, nutrients are released to form humus • Humus provides nutrients and moisture to plants and gives soil its dark colour.

  5. Moisture • Water dissolves nutrients in soil allowing plants to take them up through their roots • Water is also needed in the processes that weather rock and decay organic material

  6. Air • Air in soil is created by high humus levels (loose, decaying material allows for many air pockets), worms, insects and small animals • Plants need air around roots

  7. Typical Soil Profile

  8. Typical Soil Profile • Horizon O • Leaf litter, organic material (grass) • Horizon A • Top Soil • Rich in organic materials • Dark brown or black in colour • Horizon B • Sub Soil • Combined mineral and organic layer • Lighter brown in colour • Horizon C • Parent Material • Mineral materials • Usually bedrock or glacier deposits

  9. What happens if the soil is too wet? • Leaching- the excess water dissolves nutrients and carries them away (downward), making it difficult for plant roots to reach nutrients • Leached soil has poor, usually thin topsoil layer • Much of Canada is covered with Wet-Climate soil

  10. What if the soil is too dry? • Calcification-there is an upward movement of water • As water in the top soil evaporates, water from below is drawn up to replace it • As water evaporates, it leaves behind minerals • Topsoil is thick and rich in minerals • If soil is very dry, the amount of minerals left can create a layer that is poisonous to plants

  11. Natural Vegetation Regions • Draw a cross section of a typical soil sample in your notes (copy from page 147- fig 13-2) • Color a map showing the Soil Regions of Canada(figure 13-1, page 146)

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