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Protecting the quality of our soils is as important as protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. Protecting soil is critical to protecting our ecosystems and our ability to raise crops or maintain a backyard garden. Soil quality can be a measure of soil productivity. Soil quality can also be linked to water quality. We protect the soil by terracing the land, not plowing fields, and by using geotextiles.
The six most common soil erosion prevention methods are vegetation, terracing, contour plowing, geotextiles, mulch, and retaining walls. Vegetation: The simplest and most natural way to prevent erosion control is through planting vegetation. Plants establish root systems, which in turn, stabilizes the soil, preventing erosion.
Soil is a natural body comprised of solids (minerals and organic matter), liquid, and gases that occurs on the land surface, occupies space, and is characterized by one or both of the following: horizons, or layers, that are distinguishable from the initial material as a result of additions, losses, transfers, and transformations of energy and matter or the ability to support rooted plants in a natural environment.
Soil is the layer of decaying matter and crushed rock on the surface of the Earth, which is essential for the growth of plants. It comprises of all the necessary nutrients that aid the growth and development of plants and trees.
Sandy Soil: Sandy soil is light and dry in nature. It does not have moisture content and warms up quickly in the spring. Thus, it is good for the production of early crops.
Clay Soil: Clay soil is also called 'late' soil, because of its wet nature it is best for autumn planting. The soil serves as an excellent retort for the dry season, as it has a high water retention quality.
Chalky Soils: Chalky soil is alkaline in nature and usually poor in nutrients. It requires nourishment, in the form of additional nutrients and soil improvers, for better quality. The soil becomes dry in summers, making it very hard, and would require too much of watering for the plants to grow. The only advantage which such a soil has is its lime content.
Many animals within an ecosystem rely on specific types of plants as their main food source. Overly-acidic soil prevents plant roots from being able to take in water and nutrients that are crucial for survival. Long-term exposure to soil below a plant’s acceptable pH range can result in rapid growth and, in extreme cases, death. Gradually, plant diversity decreases as less healthy trees, bushes, and flowers can no longer bear the acidity in their original niches and must either retreat or perish. A domino of effects follows, as animals higher up the food chain lose their particular food sources.
http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/land_deg/land_deg.html
http://www.dlia.org/soil-ph
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil
MILLER LEVINE BIOLOGY 2010 STUDY HARDBACK BOOK A GRADE 9/10
On the global basis, the soil degradation is caused primarily by overgrazing (35%), agricultural activities (28%), deforestation (30%), overexplotation of land to produce fuelwood (7%), and industrialization (4%).
More than 93% of the earths soil is affected by us humans. Soil salinization is the concentration of salts in the surface or near surface of soils. Human induced salinization is a major problem in drylands and is often associated with large-scale irrigation.
Soil erosion can trigger landslides and mudflows, which can wipe out every animal and tree in its path. Soil erosion can pollute the water when it flows into any water bodies. This will have a big impact on marine life. Soil erosion will degrade the nutritional content of the soil and so you may not be able to grow healthy plants (if any), or as wide a range of species in as high a density. Nitrogen is particularly mobile with soil, especially when erosion is water-controlled, but phosphorus is also easily lost and these two nutrients are key to plant health.
For example the grains in your breakfast cereal, to the wood your walls are made out of all came from soil.
retention-the ability to keep something
erosion-the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc.
desertification-a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife.
deforestation-is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses.
topsoil-the mineral and nutrient rich portion of the soil
agriculture-the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.
geotextiles-are permeable fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain.
salinization-refers to a build up of salts in soil, eventually to toxic levels for plants. Salt in soils decreases the osmotic potential of the soil so that plants can't take up water from it.
There are many different types of soils, each one of them varying in its nature and texture. Some soils are deep rooted. They also differ in their color, as some may be red while others are black. Although there are many different types of soils each different type is not present everywhere. There are various types of soil and each carries with itself different nutrients, which assists in the growth of various plants and crops.