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a) The soil is loamy sand. I can make a ball but the ball is fragile.
b) The soil's texture aid water flow and the movement of nutrients. When I pour some water into the hole that I made, water instilled very quickly.(300ml of water and took about 40 sec)
c) I found some isopods (pill bug) on the spot that I made a hole.
d) I don't think isopods have big effect on the soil's quality. The soil around this area is basically from the decomposed leafs, the lead molds, and the surface layer of the soil was actually covered by half-decomposed plants. I expected to see earthworms but I didn't find them.
e) The soil is covered by living plants and plant's root made soil steady. Not eroded at all. If the soil is lost, maybe population of the plants would decrease and other organisms like bugs would leave.
f) Soil texture affects the amount of water that area can hold, and water is essential to most of the organisms. Soil texture tell us about how the soil is fertile. It helps ecologist to undersand current ecology of the area and also helps when planing a restoration on that area.
Soil Testing Services in Australia
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Flammable Substances
1. The soil texture aids in the movement of water because there are a lot of agregate particles in it so that makes it easier for water to flow through.
2. There are a lot of plants in the area where I collected the soil, so they are able to retrieve water more easily because of the soil texture.
3. The plants effect the soil quality by adding to the agregates found in the soil.
4. The soil that I collected is likely to erode because it is a very loosely packed soil and it will wash away easily. Loss of this soil will cause loss of plants because the ground will then be the clay base that is present in the area. It would erode to nearby streams and would most likely settle in drain pipes. It would effect this new location by clogging the pipe for water flow.
5. It is important to know the soil texture in a location because you can determine the water flow through it and how well it will sustain life.
soil at fenner park location
This soil type seems to be silty clay loam, although there is slight grittiness to it. This type of soil will slow water passage slightly, although not as much as a soil with higher clay content. The soil was collected in a wooded area with small plants growing in the area and large amounts of leaf litter. Plants would affect the soil by drawing nutrients, but their decomposing matter such as the leaves add nutrients to the soil as well. The area is not likely to experience significant erosion as the area is lower than the rest of the area near it. Soil type is important in identifying what type of species can live in the soil. In soils that hold water, plants must be able to handle constant dampness.
My soil is loam. This will allow for more drainage of water via percolation.
My soil sampling zone is home to many animals inducing: squirrels, worms and robins.
The birds and mammals of the region will enhance the soils nutrient level (through deification or eventual decomposition). Worms will enhance the soils percolation ability via aeration.
This soil could erode easily. There is little plant matter holding this soil in place. The loss of this soil would be very detrimental for my site. The site has rather steep elevation grade. Loss of soil could lead to the slumping, and eventual loss of the hill. The soil would erode into the stream and be carried into Mona Lake. On the way to the lake, the soil would block out light and could cause a die of of plant mater. This die off would raise the nutrient level and lower the dissolved oxygen level of the stream, and later the lake.
Ecologists need to take soil texture into account for a variety of effects. Lets use last weeks example of prairie restoration. As an ecologist, you would want to find a soil that is very fertile, most, and probably loamy. Choosing sites that do not meet these factors could diminish your prairies success.
Location 3 was taken from the pathway itself. Refer to watershed photo. In this location, there was 25% sand, 1%clay, and 74% silt. After looking at the chart, I came to the conclusion that the soil was silt loam.
1. This soil would allow nutrients, water, and air to reach the plant living in the area. It would not be able to flow real freely, but, more freely as opposed to if it were clay soil.
2. In this area, there was a lot of organic material like mulch- instead of organic material and plants. The soil was packed tightly.
3. The organic material allows the soil to stay the same composition when people walk on it.
4. The soil may be a little more likely to erode being as there is only mulch over the top, and no vegetation, however, it would not erode as much if it was all sand. If it were to erode, and move to a different location, the current location would not be able to support organic material. It could affect the location that it moves to in the sense that the acidity of the soil could change, and then the plants that currently live there would die, and new plants could potentially take over.
a) Silty clay loam was found at my site
b) It aids water flow and contain and helps with the movement of nutrients. Its not to hard or too soft.
c) Earthworms, rolly pollies, and ants were found in the area dug.
d) Worms mostly have an effect on the soil by enriching it.
e) No, if loss, the nutrients in the soil would be less and other plants that are better adapted would have to take the area.
Yes, the soil's presence would affect the area its moved to because it would bring nutrients and better water flow to the area.
f) It is important to think about soil texture because it helps in predicting the kinds of organisms the area could support and what organisms can be found there.
How does your soil’s texture aid or hinder water flow and the movement of nutrients?
Since the soil is a sandy loam and this will hinder water flow because sandy does not hold water well and loam is in the middle. I feel that this causes the water to leach right through past the roots and the nutrients are taken with it.
What types of organisms are in the area where you collected the soil?
There were mostly grasses and small ground cover plants like clovers. There were rabbits all over and birds.
What effects do these organisms have on the soil’s qualities?
The ground cover and grasses will have smaller root systems so that they can absorb the most water the fastest before it leaches, so the soil will be compacted more the further down because there are no roots to break it up.
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?
There could be a chance of erosion due to the small root systems throughout the soil. I don’t think that it would make a big change to the current location much of the location is similar throughout. It would erode into a lower section that is similar to the one it would have come from. It would not change anything in the section that it would erode to.
As an ecologist why is it important to think about soil texture?
Understanding and thinking about soil texture will help you in understanding the interactions among organisms in the area and how they will interact with the environment.
Sandy Loam
My soil texture is very good for holding a good amount of water and nutrients. the water moves slow enough through the soil so no leeching occurs but still flows freely.
Small shrubs and grasses were the predominant organisms in the area where I tested the soil (oh and mosquitoes!)
These organisms produce organic matter that makes up the O horizon. That sat on top of the soil that I tested. Nutrients wash down as the organic matter decomposes.
The soil I collected would not be likely to erode because there was a large amount of organic matter on the surface as well as a relatively shallow slope. If it were to erode I would wash to the lowest point on my site. The loss of this soil would potentially hinder the growth of the plants that currently thrive there.
it is important to think about soil texture as an ecologist because it can have a direct effect on what types of organisms are present. Soil texture is one of the most important factors for a plant to survival.
a) The soil seems to be loam or slit loam.
b) The texture of the soil aids water flow and probably nutrients too because the soil seems to absorb water well, so it could transfer water and nutrients better to the plants than other sticky types of soil.
c) Few visible insects were present in the area I collected the soil.
d) These insects may contribute nutrients to the soil for their excretion and body(when they die) may become nutrients for other organisms.
e) Because the soil has low sticky quality, it would likely to be eroded. If the soil is lost on my location, there will be less nutrients for the plants to grow; therefore there will be less organisms living there. If it erodes, it will be from higher elevation to lower part of the land and the location that it moves to will grow more organisms than it had before. However, my location is fairly flat, and it is unlikely to happen.
f) Soil is the foundation that constructs the ecosystem, therefore observing and analyzing the quality of soil is important to understand the organisms which live on that soil.
The soil is a silty loam.
a. The soil does a good job of holding water. The flow of water is slow and the soil holds many nutrients.
b. The type of organisms in the area are frogs, toads, worms and birds.
c. The organisms probably have a good affect on the soil quality. They add minerals to the soil through their waste.
d. The soil is not likely to be eroded. It is not sandy and holds very well. The movement would affect its current location. It is on the side of a soy bean field, if there ever enough water to erode the soil the crops would also be in danger.
Location 1 was taken closer to a marsh- if you would like, refer to watershed photo. In this location, there was 10% clay, 30% sand, and 60% silt. After taking a look at the chart, I came to the conclusion that it was silt loam.
1. This soil would allow nutrients, water, and air to reach the plant living in the area. It would not be able to flow real freely, but, more freely as opposed to if it were clay soil.
2. In this area, there were a lot of plants, and organic material.
3. These organisms would allow the soil composition to stay the same.
4. No, the soil is not likely to be eroded because of many reasons. One of them is because there is little sand- which is most likely to travel. Being as there is clay making up the composition, it helps the sand stay where it is at. Also, there was a lot of native vegetation which will help the soil to not erode.
NRCS Area Agronomist Cody Garcia runs a timed soil infiltration test on a field where he is working with landowner John Bays to improve the health of his soil on his regenerative farm operation.; Park County; June 25, 2024
1) The soil texture was very dense and hard to collect for the ball formation. Since where I live has a lot of rain, I suspect that the soil hinders water flow to prevent erosion and mudslides. Perhaps it allows water to seep through to lower levels where what is allowed to flow more freely.
2) There are many earthworms, trees, ferns and small berry bushes in the area where I collected the soil.
3) The soil I collected had many tiny roots embedded in it which indicates that it depends on these roots for structure. Organisms such as the bushes and trees are most likely the source of the root network. The earthworms help in soil turnover.
4) These organisms help structure the soil and keep it relatively stable because of their roots
5) The soil in the particular area where I collected is not likely to be eroded. The soil was very dense and hard to scrap up for collection. It would probably take an unnatural amount of water to cause erosion in this area.
6) It is important to consider soil texture in order to understand and hypothesize about the organisms living in that area. Organisms depend on their environment and soil for food and nutrients and so it may bring clues to an organism’s physiological attributes. Also, soil texture is important to study in regards to understanding the affects of humans on an environment.
SANDY CLAY
a) my soil hinders water and nutrient flow by having very large particles. The soil was very wet and it doesn't seem like water or nutrients can flow easily through it.
b) there are birds, fish,snakes, insects, moss, many insects,turtles, wetland grass, trees.
C) being that my soil sample came from dirt around the wetlands it was mainly covered with leaves and moss. which keeps the top layer from drying out.
d) no my soil is not very likely to be eroded. There is very little water flow through the area besides when it rains.
A. Sand
B. not very much compared to other soils. It's very porous.
C. Birds, plants, probably rodents and other critters. Insects such as bees...
D. They add nutrients into the soil.
E. yes. Sand is eroded. If it were lost it would change the types of organisms who live there, though I don't know how all the sand can be lost, my site is at the beach, how can all the sand disappear from the beach? But if it did leave it would probably just go into the ocean which would be unaffected.
F. It is important to consider soil texture because the various organisms who live in a given area depend on the type of soil that is there. If it somehow changed it would affect the types of organisms who could survive there.
1. The soil's texture resembles the texture of clay, which is what that make up of the soil most likely is, so this will hinder the flow of water quick a bit. Although it would hinder the flow, it makes the soil quite moist because of the amount of water the soil can hold at a certain time.
2. The types of organisms that were in the area where i collected the soil were, algae, frogs, turtles, worms, flies, mosquitoes, and dragon flies.
3. The organisms effect the soil's qualities because many of the animals make burrows into the soil, causing it to break up. This could cause for a lack of nutrients in the soil.
4. The soil collected is likely to be eroded because it lays on the edge of a large hill. I think that the previous location of the soil does not have that much of an effect of the new location, because the presence of clay is likely around the entire ecosystem.
5. It is important to think about soil texture because it helps to determine the amount of nutrients that can exist and how the plants and animals in that area achieve the nutrients the soil has to present.
SILTY LOAM. soiltype allows for most effective water movement. organisms: ants, spiders, squirrels, insects mostly, etc. These animals can effect soil in ways that wouldn't hinder its ability to support water and nutrient movement. Soil potentially eroded due to precipitation. Otherwise, no reason to believe it's eroded. If eroded, it would erode into the river (Red Cedar) and potentially fill the river over many years of erosion, or it would widen the river and make it more shallow. This soils loss would cause the river to broaden and/or shallow. Soil texture important because it tells you how easily/readily water and nutrients are transported through the soil as well as allows the investigation of the range of organisms that enjoy this type of soil within their fundamental niche.