sguider17
mudbutterfly
Soil Texture: silty clay loam
This soil is made of primarily smaller particles and therefore larger surface area. This larger surface area allows higher water-holding capacity and in turn lower water and nutrient permeability. Silty clay loam hinders plants by retaining almost half of its water.
The environment is lush with insect species, such as the butterfly pictured, snails, frogs, bird species, and small fish. Marsh grass very densely inhabits the swamp area (more so than during week 2). There are also algae and microorganisms living in the water.
Algae and insects break down fallen leaves and stalks from the marsh grass, which adds recycled nutrients and organic matter to the composition of the soil. The root systems from the grass ease the movement of soil from different depths, which rejuvenates the soil with more of its deep parent material. Some organisms form pores in the soil, which silty clay loam has many of.
As evidenced by the massive quantity of soil deposited onto the concrete pathway next to the marsh, this soil is likely to erode. The run off appears to be due to high water levels during rainfall, which flood the marsh basin and spread soil outward. Without soil, the marsh grass population would likely decrease due to lower nutrient density due to lack of soil. However, this soil movement does not appear to be removing soil from my environment. As observed in the watershed model, all water runs towards the marsh basin anyways, so the overflowing effect essentially spreads the soil out rather than takes it from one place to another. This may explain the current high density of plant life.
Soil texture has many applications in ecology. A plants niche is dependent on soil type and the various levels of water permeability, retention, and infiltration that various soil types exhibit. Issues in plant extinction and invasion could be solved by modifying soil texture to include or exclude certain plant’s specifications.
www.noble.org/ag/Soils/SoilWaterRelationships/Index.htm
mudbutterfly
Soil Texture: silty clay loam
This soil is made of primarily smaller particles and therefore larger surface area. This larger surface area allows higher water-holding capacity and in turn lower water and nutrient permeability. Silty clay loam hinders plants by retaining almost half of its water.
The environment is lush with insect species, such as the butterfly pictured, snails, frogs, bird species, and small fish. Marsh grass very densely inhabits the swamp area (more so than during week 2). There are also algae and microorganisms living in the water.
Algae and insects break down fallen leaves and stalks from the marsh grass, which adds recycled nutrients and organic matter to the composition of the soil. The root systems from the grass ease the movement of soil from different depths, which rejuvenates the soil with more of its deep parent material. Some organisms form pores in the soil, which silty clay loam has many of.
As evidenced by the massive quantity of soil deposited onto the concrete pathway next to the marsh, this soil is likely to erode. The run off appears to be due to high water levels during rainfall, which flood the marsh basin and spread soil outward. Without soil, the marsh grass population would likely decrease due to lower nutrient density due to lack of soil. However, this soil movement does not appear to be removing soil from my environment. As observed in the watershed model, all water runs towards the marsh basin anyways, so the overflowing effect essentially spreads the soil out rather than takes it from one place to another. This may explain the current high density of plant life.
Soil texture has many applications in ecology. A plants niche is dependent on soil type and the various levels of water permeability, retention, and infiltration that various soil types exhibit. Issues in plant extinction and invasion could be solved by modifying soil texture to include or exclude certain plant’s specifications.
www.noble.org/ag/Soils/SoilWaterRelationships/Index.htm