prenti16
soil testing area
How does your soil’s texture aid or hinder water flow and the movement of nutrients?
My soil is sandy loam. Sandy soils allow water and nutrients to move through them at a rate higher than silt or clays. The loamy content in my soil allows for the sequestration of both water and nutrients.
What types of organisms are in the area where you collected the soil?
There were many oak leaves on the forest floor, as well as a large oak tree a few feet from my sampling site. There were also Virginia creeper plants growing around the tree, and a spider web attached to some small saplings.
What effects do these organisms have on the soil’s qualities?
The organic matter in the forest floor can decompose and add nutrients to the soil, making it loamier. This organic matter can also serve as a home to organisms that may get stuck in the spider’s web. The oak tree and Virginia creeper plants will take up nutrients and water, depleting the soil of these qualities.
Is the soil you collected likely to be eroded? How would its loss affect the current
location? Where would it erode to in your site? How would its presence affect the
location it moves to?
Sandy soils have the higher erosion rate because of their low adhesion. Fortunately, litter and dead material on the forest floor can inhibit water flow through the woods and reduce erosion. The sediment will be transported to the lowest elevation in the ecosystem. In my case, either a wooded flooding, or the drainage ditch to the east between the woods and the agricultural field. As the erosion builds up in these low areas, water flow can be reduced, islands formed, or eutrophication can occur.
As an ecologist why is it important to think about soil texture?
Soil is the framework for many interactions within an ecosystem. Relations between plants and water and nutrient uptake can be altered depending on the soil type. Root structures will need to grow shallower or deeper depending on soil adhesion. It provides a boundary and can offer hints as to the species that will thrive in the soil.
soil testing area
How does your soil’s texture aid or hinder water flow and the movement of nutrients?
My soil is sandy loam. Sandy soils allow water and nutrients to move through them at a rate higher than silt or clays. The loamy content in my soil allows for the sequestration of both water and nutrients.
What types of organisms are in the area where you collected the soil?
There were many oak leaves on the forest floor, as well as a large oak tree a few feet from my sampling site. There were also Virginia creeper plants growing around the tree, and a spider web attached to some small saplings.
What effects do these organisms have on the soil’s qualities?
The organic matter in the forest floor can decompose and add nutrients to the soil, making it loamier. This organic matter can also serve as a home to organisms that may get stuck in the spider’s web. The oak tree and Virginia creeper plants will take up nutrients and water, depleting the soil of these qualities.
Is the soil you collected likely to be eroded? How would its loss affect the current
location? Where would it erode to in your site? How would its presence affect the
location it moves to?
Sandy soils have the higher erosion rate because of their low adhesion. Fortunately, litter and dead material on the forest floor can inhibit water flow through the woods and reduce erosion. The sediment will be transported to the lowest elevation in the ecosystem. In my case, either a wooded flooding, or the drainage ditch to the east between the woods and the agricultural field. As the erosion builds up in these low areas, water flow can be reduced, islands formed, or eutrophication can occur.
As an ecologist why is it important to think about soil texture?
Soil is the framework for many interactions within an ecosystem. Relations between plants and water and nutrient uptake can be altered depending on the soil type. Root structures will need to grow shallower or deeper depending on soil adhesion. It provides a boundary and can offer hints as to the species that will thrive in the soil.