Soil

The soil I obtained from my capstone site would be classified as loamy sand. You can tell form the texture of the soil that it is a combination of sand, silt and clay. I found it to be pretty moist and I was easily able to roll it into a ball (pictured above). This rich soil is not tightly packed so water should be able to flow through it easily. Loam soil is great because it is able to drain soil as well as retain moisture. Nutrients in this type of soil can be held and used for all types of plants. Within the area where I collected the soil there were trees, small grasses, ants, small soil bugs, and decomposing leaves/organic matter. I would assume that the organisms within the soil use the retained moisture and nutrients in order to grow and live. This soil would not be easily eroded away. Many of the plants (trees, grasses, shrubs) within the area hold this soil together and that lessens the ability for it to be eroded. If the soil were to be easily eroded away than the nutrient within the soil would also be lost. This would in tern hurt the vegetation as well as the species that rely on the vegetation as food/shelter. If some were to be eroded it would end up on the edge of the wooded area at the bottom of a hill. The buildup of soils in the new area might lead to new plants flourishing. As an ecologist it is very important to think about soil texture to know how and why certain things grow in an area and how it affect the different organisms that live in a given area.

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