vandeu12
Soil #2
Here's the second plot of soil that I used to draw my sample of soil.
1) How does your soil’s texture aid or hinder water flow and the movement of nutrients?
The soil that I used was very grainy and looked like it could have pretty good size pores for water to move through. So for this, the soil texture would aid water flow and the movement of nutrients because due to the grainy texture of the soil, water and nutrients can flow easily. But if the soil was really compact and hard, there would be very little room for the water and nutrients to flow and as a result it would be less able to flow through more compact soils.
2) What types of organisms are in the area where you collected the soil?
In terms of animals there are squirrels, cats, chipmunks, insects and fungi.
In terms of plant species there was hosta plant shown in the edge of the picture.
There was also certainly microorganisms with the presence of nematodes.
3) What effects do these organisms have on the soil’s qualities?
Squirrels and chipmunks could have an impact on the soil quality when they dig up the soil and bury their food such as nuts or seeds. When the animals dig holes, it helps mix up the soil and allows rainwater to enter. This helps feed the thirsty plants and also helps prevent flooding. Also if the squirrel forgets about their buried food microorganisms and other invertebrates can degrade the nuts which kind of recycles the nutrients back into the soil like nitrogen and carbon. In terms of the cat, I would have to say that the cat defecates on the soil so when they do the feces eventually decomposes and also adds essential nutrients to the soil. Like squirrels and chipmunks, cats may also dig up the soil which aids the soil in collecting rainfall and thus helps feed the microorganisms and plants present in that soil. In terms of the microorganisms they help make nitrogen for plants. Some of the bacteria live free; while others grow on the roots of different plants. Finally the bacteria may also help rot dead plants to recycle nutrients back into the soil. Nematodes have been known to be pests for different types of plants but in soil, as unusual as this sounds, they collect and provide the nutrients to the soil and thus help mix the nutrients in the soil up. Different insects have been known to mix the soil up so that more air gets in the soil and helps the diverse microorganisms and other life forms to survive. They also chew up dead leaves and other dead vegetation so that the microorganisms and fungi can use the nutrients for their benefit. Also, they're a food source for many different soil organisms as well. Some types of fungi grow on plant roots. The fungi have many filaments that are like thin hairs that spread all through far beyond the roots. This allows the fungi to help the plants get food and water from it. And, the plant makes the sugar the fungi need for energy. So the fungi help the plant and the plant helps the fungi! Other fungi form mushrooms and can help rot dead plants to recycle nutrients. The hosta plant, like any other plant, gives the soil nitrogen so that the nitrogen cycle can proceed and make nitrates and nitrites that are needed for the cycle to occur.
4) 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?
The soil collected was not likely to be eroded because the soil that I collected on was on a low elevation level in the environment so it would only collect and gather basically in itself. More nutrients and soil is most likely eroded into the location where the soil sample was taken due to the levels of elevation surrounding the soil. The soil and nutrients would erode to that location during rain mostly as the wind would not greatly affect the spot the soil was taken from.
5) As an ecologist why is it important to think about soil texture?
Soil texture is very important to ecologists because soil texture is one of the main determinants of whether or not nutrients will flow through the soil. If they can, then the many different cycles (carbon, nitrogen, water, etc) may occur. These cycles are critical for an environment to be sustained and balanced. But if the soil texture was very compact and hard, then barely any water or nutrients would be able to move which could cause damage to the environmental cycles and then cause a crisis for that specific environment in terms of the organisms living there and the vegetation. So ecologists need to know the soil composition to see whether or not they need to make some sort of adjustment to the soil to allow these cycles to proceed. So in turn, soil texture is very important to an ecologist.
Soil #2
Here's the second plot of soil that I used to draw my sample of soil.
1) How does your soil’s texture aid or hinder water flow and the movement of nutrients?
The soil that I used was very grainy and looked like it could have pretty good size pores for water to move through. So for this, the soil texture would aid water flow and the movement of nutrients because due to the grainy texture of the soil, water and nutrients can flow easily. But if the soil was really compact and hard, there would be very little room for the water and nutrients to flow and as a result it would be less able to flow through more compact soils.
2) What types of organisms are in the area where you collected the soil?
In terms of animals there are squirrels, cats, chipmunks, insects and fungi.
In terms of plant species there was hosta plant shown in the edge of the picture.
There was also certainly microorganisms with the presence of nematodes.
3) What effects do these organisms have on the soil’s qualities?
Squirrels and chipmunks could have an impact on the soil quality when they dig up the soil and bury their food such as nuts or seeds. When the animals dig holes, it helps mix up the soil and allows rainwater to enter. This helps feed the thirsty plants and also helps prevent flooding. Also if the squirrel forgets about their buried food microorganisms and other invertebrates can degrade the nuts which kind of recycles the nutrients back into the soil like nitrogen and carbon. In terms of the cat, I would have to say that the cat defecates on the soil so when they do the feces eventually decomposes and also adds essential nutrients to the soil. Like squirrels and chipmunks, cats may also dig up the soil which aids the soil in collecting rainfall and thus helps feed the microorganisms and plants present in that soil. In terms of the microorganisms they help make nitrogen for plants. Some of the bacteria live free; while others grow on the roots of different plants. Finally the bacteria may also help rot dead plants to recycle nutrients back into the soil. Nematodes have been known to be pests for different types of plants but in soil, as unusual as this sounds, they collect and provide the nutrients to the soil and thus help mix the nutrients in the soil up. Different insects have been known to mix the soil up so that more air gets in the soil and helps the diverse microorganisms and other life forms to survive. They also chew up dead leaves and other dead vegetation so that the microorganisms and fungi can use the nutrients for their benefit. Also, they're a food source for many different soil organisms as well. Some types of fungi grow on plant roots. The fungi have many filaments that are like thin hairs that spread all through far beyond the roots. This allows the fungi to help the plants get food and water from it. And, the plant makes the sugar the fungi need for energy. So the fungi help the plant and the plant helps the fungi! Other fungi form mushrooms and can help rot dead plants to recycle nutrients. The hosta plant, like any other plant, gives the soil nitrogen so that the nitrogen cycle can proceed and make nitrates and nitrites that are needed for the cycle to occur.
4) 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?
The soil collected was not likely to be eroded because the soil that I collected on was on a low elevation level in the environment so it would only collect and gather basically in itself. More nutrients and soil is most likely eroded into the location where the soil sample was taken due to the levels of elevation surrounding the soil. The soil and nutrients would erode to that location during rain mostly as the wind would not greatly affect the spot the soil was taken from.
5) As an ecologist why is it important to think about soil texture?
Soil texture is very important to ecologists because soil texture is one of the main determinants of whether or not nutrients will flow through the soil. If they can, then the many different cycles (carbon, nitrogen, water, etc) may occur. These cycles are critical for an environment to be sustained and balanced. But if the soil texture was very compact and hard, then barely any water or nutrients would be able to move which could cause damage to the environmental cycles and then cause a crisis for that specific environment in terms of the organisms living there and the vegetation. So ecologists need to know the soil composition to see whether or not they need to make some sort of adjustment to the soil to allow these cycles to proceed. So in turn, soil texture is very important to an ecologist.