Drumlinfield
Spinks Soil series
Soil texture: gritty, medium to fine grain size (.08-.003 inches)
Soil Classification- Loamy Sands
Color- Light Brown
Clay and Silt-
Dilatancy: the soil pat (1/2 inch cube) reacts quickly to shaking (1-2 seconds). This indicates that the soil contains fines.
Dry strength: Slight dry strength, the dried pat was easily crumbled between fingers. When crumbled the texture was gritty indicating sands. If the feel was smooth and powdery like flour, that would indicate silt present
Toughness: the rolled out thread before crumbling was .5 cm long.
The soils texture of the capstone location is of Loamy Sands of the Spinks series. This soil has a high hydraulic conductivity, meaning good drainage. The permeability of the soil is moderately rapid. The moderate permeability and high hydraulic conductivity allows for infiltration of water to percolate downward easily to plants roots but also allows for nutrient to be transported downward. The loamy sands aid in translocation of organic material down into deeper soil profiles. Looking at the translocation in a short term manner is good for vegetation allowing roots to easily obtain nutrients from the humus. Long term translocation without the addition to the O horizon will lead to a nutrient depleted soil.
The organisms present within the soil were worms which aid in the process of translocation. Plant life around the area of sample includes grasses, black raspberries, poison ivy, white oak, red oak, shagbark hickory, meadow rue, black cherry.
The vegetation found within the site is a good indicator of the nutrient availability. The Oak-Hickory forest biome has a high nutrient demand. The nutrient uptake by the trees and herbaceous plants are stored in the biomass. As the organisms lose their leaves or die, decay ensures the continuation of nutrient addition to the O horizon.
The Spinks soil of my location has a small potential of erosion due to the high rate of infiltration of precipitation and the topography of the land is relatively flat with high topography to the east. Erosion maybe possible in a large precipitation event that exceeds the capacity of infiltration surface runoff would erode the thick organic layer and then reach the soil. The erosion of the organic would lessen the amount of returned nutrients for that season, the high concentration of vegetation would replenish the humus relatively quick. The transportation of the eroded soil would increase the amount of sands located at the toe slope of the outwash. This would carry feldspars which can increase the amount of calcium, potassium, and sodium as the sand grains are weathered making the soil in that location higher in nutrients.
As an ecologist it is important to always take soil into consideration to get a better estimation of the ecosystem in the area. Soil will determine plant communities and therefore the animal communities present. Soil also is an indication to climate and paleoenvironments, this can be used to get a representation of the ecological succession that has taken place.
Spinks Soil series
Soil texture: gritty, medium to fine grain size (.08-.003 inches)
Soil Classification- Loamy Sands
Color- Light Brown
Clay and Silt-
Dilatancy: the soil pat (1/2 inch cube) reacts quickly to shaking (1-2 seconds). This indicates that the soil contains fines.
Dry strength: Slight dry strength, the dried pat was easily crumbled between fingers. When crumbled the texture was gritty indicating sands. If the feel was smooth and powdery like flour, that would indicate silt present
Toughness: the rolled out thread before crumbling was .5 cm long.
The soils texture of the capstone location is of Loamy Sands of the Spinks series. This soil has a high hydraulic conductivity, meaning good drainage. The permeability of the soil is moderately rapid. The moderate permeability and high hydraulic conductivity allows for infiltration of water to percolate downward easily to plants roots but also allows for nutrient to be transported downward. The loamy sands aid in translocation of organic material down into deeper soil profiles. Looking at the translocation in a short term manner is good for vegetation allowing roots to easily obtain nutrients from the humus. Long term translocation without the addition to the O horizon will lead to a nutrient depleted soil.
The organisms present within the soil were worms which aid in the process of translocation. Plant life around the area of sample includes grasses, black raspberries, poison ivy, white oak, red oak, shagbark hickory, meadow rue, black cherry.
The vegetation found within the site is a good indicator of the nutrient availability. The Oak-Hickory forest biome has a high nutrient demand. The nutrient uptake by the trees and herbaceous plants are stored in the biomass. As the organisms lose their leaves or die, decay ensures the continuation of nutrient addition to the O horizon.
The Spinks soil of my location has a small potential of erosion due to the high rate of infiltration of precipitation and the topography of the land is relatively flat with high topography to the east. Erosion maybe possible in a large precipitation event that exceeds the capacity of infiltration surface runoff would erode the thick organic layer and then reach the soil. The erosion of the organic would lessen the amount of returned nutrients for that season, the high concentration of vegetation would replenish the humus relatively quick. The transportation of the eroded soil would increase the amount of sands located at the toe slope of the outwash. This would carry feldspars which can increase the amount of calcium, potassium, and sodium as the sand grains are weathered making the soil in that location higher in nutrients.
As an ecologist it is important to always take soil into consideration to get a better estimation of the ecosystem in the area. Soil will determine plant communities and therefore the animal communities present. Soil also is an indication to climate and paleoenvironments, this can be used to get a representation of the ecological succession that has taken place.