HirzelGE
Soil test
Since my soil is clay, water does not flow through it easily so nutrients are not leached from the soil. The particles of clay are fine so the water will sit on the surface until it can slowly seep in. After a hard rain the water will run flow downhill without having a chance to seep in, especially in areas where there is not vegetation, such as footpaths.
I collected the soil in areas that had grass and small saplings. Earthworms and other wormy creatures were found in the soil I collected.
The plants will add dead matter that the earthworms will break down, which adds nutrients to the soil.
My soil is not likely to be eroded, since there are enough grasses and trees to keep it anchored. If the clay was lost or replaced with another soil it would be harder for plants at the top of the hill in my site to grow, since the new soil would be easier to erode than clay and wash away with all the nutrients. The soil would erode to the bottom of a hill at my site and provide the saplings there with more nutrients, possibly giving them an advantage over the plants on the hillside.
It is important to think about soil texture because soil texture determines how easily water is accessible to plants and how quickly nutrients will be leached from the soil. These factors determine how well plants grow; plants are very important because they define the biome that all the other organisms inhabit.
Soil test
Since my soil is clay, water does not flow through it easily so nutrients are not leached from the soil. The particles of clay are fine so the water will sit on the surface until it can slowly seep in. After a hard rain the water will run flow downhill without having a chance to seep in, especially in areas where there is not vegetation, such as footpaths.
I collected the soil in areas that had grass and small saplings. Earthworms and other wormy creatures were found in the soil I collected.
The plants will add dead matter that the earthworms will break down, which adds nutrients to the soil.
My soil is not likely to be eroded, since there are enough grasses and trees to keep it anchored. If the clay was lost or replaced with another soil it would be harder for plants at the top of the hill in my site to grow, since the new soil would be easier to erode than clay and wash away with all the nutrients. The soil would erode to the bottom of a hill at my site and provide the saplings there with more nutrients, possibly giving them an advantage over the plants on the hillside.
It is important to think about soil texture because soil texture determines how easily water is accessible to plants and how quickly nutrients will be leached from the soil. These factors determine how well plants grow; plants are very important because they define the biome that all the other organisms inhabit.