Mountain Smith
the soil at my site
a) My soil's texture aids water flow because it is fairly granular. I would call it a sandy loam type of soil. This coarseness allows water to pass more freely though the soil. The soil happens to have a lot of organics in it too. These particles and chunks have lots of nutrients in them, enriching the soil. The ease of movement of water through the soils helps to carry these nutrients throughout and keep it rich and healthy to support plant life.
b) There are a lot of different plants, as well as numerous insect and arachnid species. The plants vary from large trees to leafy plants to vines. The insects seem to mostly be flies but there are also ants and other ground dwellers too.
c) The plants take up some of the nutrients in the soil, depleting it slowly which affects quality and lowers it. The insects dig tunnels in the soil, which helps aerate it and enriches it.
d) I would say that it is not all that likely to be eroded because of the location. It is in a fairly flat and low-lying area, so there is not a lot of swift runoff that will carry it away. Actually quite the reverse: soil from other areas would be carried here. Wind erosion is not an issue either because it is in a forest and is protected. If it were to be eroded too much, much of my area would actually be underwater probably due to the fact that there's a creek nearby. It would wash away into the creek and thus widen the creek to a slower, shallower waterway. The presence of the soil in the stream would cause it to be muddy looking and would eventually wash into the Grand River (which is nasty and muddy looking anyway) and make it to Lake Michigan some day.
e) Soil texture affects and tells us something about soil makeup which tells us soil quality, which affects the type of organisms that can live in an area. This makes up a large part of classifying the basic ecosystems of the world, so it is very important!
the soil at my site
a) My soil's texture aids water flow because it is fairly granular. I would call it a sandy loam type of soil. This coarseness allows water to pass more freely though the soil. The soil happens to have a lot of organics in it too. These particles and chunks have lots of nutrients in them, enriching the soil. The ease of movement of water through the soils helps to carry these nutrients throughout and keep it rich and healthy to support plant life.
b) There are a lot of different plants, as well as numerous insect and arachnid species. The plants vary from large trees to leafy plants to vines. The insects seem to mostly be flies but there are also ants and other ground dwellers too.
c) The plants take up some of the nutrients in the soil, depleting it slowly which affects quality and lowers it. The insects dig tunnels in the soil, which helps aerate it and enriches it.
d) I would say that it is not all that likely to be eroded because of the location. It is in a fairly flat and low-lying area, so there is not a lot of swift runoff that will carry it away. Actually quite the reverse: soil from other areas would be carried here. Wind erosion is not an issue either because it is in a forest and is protected. If it were to be eroded too much, much of my area would actually be underwater probably due to the fact that there's a creek nearby. It would wash away into the creek and thus widen the creek to a slower, shallower waterway. The presence of the soil in the stream would cause it to be muddy looking and would eventually wash into the Grand River (which is nasty and muddy looking anyway) and make it to Lake Michigan some day.
e) Soil texture affects and tells us something about soil makeup which tells us soil quality, which affects the type of organisms that can live in an area. This makes up a large part of classifying the basic ecosystems of the world, so it is very important!