JMEco730
Macdonald_J zol355 2011 soiltest group_6
My soil's texture was a bit difficult to determine. In step 1, it balled up easily in my hand, and in step 2 when bounced it stayed as a ball (eventually crumbled after the 4th bounce). However, in step 3 when I tried to make a ribbon out of it, it completely collapsed in my hands, no matter what method I attempted. Based on our instructions, it was then hard to determine soil type - especially since the soil "sounded" gritty, and even appeared to contain sand. Ultimately, it seemed most logical to describe it as sandy loam.
Since the soil texture is "gritty" but has an ability to clump, its effect on water and nutrient movement is difficult to estimate. In my previous pictures, its clear that when it rains the soil holds a lot of water - which makes it seem as though the soil is mostly clay, and less permeable. However, since the soil also has a very gritty quality, it does not hinder the flow of nutrients as greatly as a more clay based soil might.
Other than grass and weeds, I have never seen any organisms in the area where I collected the soil. It is from the edge of the park, on a slight incline and a decent distance from trees (where the birds, squirrels, and worms hang out). The soil I collected is at risk of erosion, because of the incline on which it resides and the constant flow of water that rushes over it during heavy rains. Although it gains some protection form erosion since it can hold "some" water and clump to itself. It would erode into the center of the park, along with the majority of the water and nutrients, which is why the largest trees reside within the center of the region.
After doing this project, I realized that it is very important for an ecologist to think about soil texture. The texture of the soil I collected only seemed to support grass and weeds, and did not attract larger plant or any animal species. Despite its ability to form a ball, my soil samples seemed to have a lot of a sand-like substance, and as we read sand is so permeable that nutrients and water do not linger long enough to benefit organisms, so it was not a great surprise that not much grew in the area.
Macdonald_J zol355 2011 soiltest group_6
My soil's texture was a bit difficult to determine. In step 1, it balled up easily in my hand, and in step 2 when bounced it stayed as a ball (eventually crumbled after the 4th bounce). However, in step 3 when I tried to make a ribbon out of it, it completely collapsed in my hands, no matter what method I attempted. Based on our instructions, it was then hard to determine soil type - especially since the soil "sounded" gritty, and even appeared to contain sand. Ultimately, it seemed most logical to describe it as sandy loam.
Since the soil texture is "gritty" but has an ability to clump, its effect on water and nutrient movement is difficult to estimate. In my previous pictures, its clear that when it rains the soil holds a lot of water - which makes it seem as though the soil is mostly clay, and less permeable. However, since the soil also has a very gritty quality, it does not hinder the flow of nutrients as greatly as a more clay based soil might.
Other than grass and weeds, I have never seen any organisms in the area where I collected the soil. It is from the edge of the park, on a slight incline and a decent distance from trees (where the birds, squirrels, and worms hang out). The soil I collected is at risk of erosion, because of the incline on which it resides and the constant flow of water that rushes over it during heavy rains. Although it gains some protection form erosion since it can hold "some" water and clump to itself. It would erode into the center of the park, along with the majority of the water and nutrients, which is why the largest trees reside within the center of the region.
After doing this project, I realized that it is very important for an ecologist to think about soil texture. The texture of the soil I collected only seemed to support grass and weeds, and did not attract larger plant or any animal species. Despite its ability to form a ball, my soil samples seemed to have a lot of a sand-like substance, and as we read sand is so permeable that nutrients and water do not linger long enough to benefit organisms, so it was not a great surprise that not much grew in the area.