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Soil and the Ecosystem

Soil and the Ecosystem. Why is soil important?. Soil determines which plants can grow in an area. Plants are the foundation of the food chain and determines what other animals can live in an area Gives us our minerals. What is soil?.

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Soil and the Ecosystem

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  1. Soil and the Ecosystem

  2. Why is soil important? • Soil determines which plants can grow in an area. • Plants are the foundation of the food chain and determines what other animals can live in an area • Gives us our minerals

  3. What is soil? • Soil is a mixture of rock, minerals, clay, sand, silt, and decayed organic material (decomposed plant and animal)

  4. How is soil formed? • Formed from the weathering of rocks 1. Mechanical caused by everyday breakage 2. Chemical caused by acid in rain/water 3 Biological caused by roots of plants/trees

  5. Soil Composition • Made up of rock, air, water, minerals, sand, silt, clay and humus • Humusis the decayed organic material (plant/animal) • Different areas have different amounts of sand, silt, clay, and humus. These combinations makes different types of soil

  6. Soil Types • Sand – largest particle, doesn’t hold water well • Silt – medium size particles • Clay- smallest, holds water well

  7. Loam– equal amounts of sand, silt, and clay

  8. Gravel – anything in the dirt that is larger than 2mm.

  9. Soil Textures • Determines the amount of water that can be used by plants and animals • Sandy Clay Loam – more sand and clay than silt • Silt Loam – more silt than sand or clay • Clay – more clay than sand or silt

  10. Permeability • Ability of water to move through the soil • Water moves through sand quicker than silt of clay • Bigger soil particles, the faster the water will move because the spaces between the particles are bigger

  11. pH of soil • Most soils have a pH of 4-10 • The number depends on the amount of decayed plants and animals • Plants grow best when the pH is between 5 and 7

  12. What is a soil profile? • Soil forms in layers called horizons • These layers make up the soil profile • A good soil profile includes three layers –topsoil, subsoil, and parent material above a layer of bedrock

  13. Soil Profile Topsoil – living organisms, root system of plants, humus, nutrients, water, air, soil, rocks Subsoil– rocks, some roots of tall trees, water, minerals Parent Material – rocks and minerals

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