Soil

How does your soil’s texture aid or hinder water flow and the movement of nutrients?

Since my soil is less sandy and has more slit and clay, water does not easily penetrate through. Therefore, water may not flow through as easily. If water is not able to move through nutrients will probably not move through easily also.

What types of organisms are in the area where you collected the soil?

In the soil there were plants, ants, spiders, mosquitoes, and worms

What effects do these organisms have on the soil’s qualities?

Organisms would add nutrients and other elements to the soil with their wastes and as they die and decompose. Worms mix and air to the soil when they tunnel through it.

Is the soil you collected likely to be eroded?

Since the soil is on an incline it would easily be eroded if there was a downpour of rain.

How would its loss affect the current

location?

If the soil was eroded it would expose new soil, but also take away organisms and nutrients that were previously in the soil.

Where would it erode to in your site?

It would probably erode to the river, which is where the incline angles to.

How would its presence affect the

location it moves to?

The soil would bring along the nutrients that eroded away and may be able to help the vegetation around it grow better. The soil may fall into the river and then also be carried downstream.

As an ecologist why is it important to think about soil texture?

Soil texture is an important component to think about because the things that make up the soil will control a lot of abiotic factors that are important to the ecosystem. For example, the texture of the soil is important to know the flow of water and nutrients and how deep the water will flow down. Since plants are dependent on water, knowing how porous the soil is.

Done