Chapter 15 #2

Question 1

Soil Texture

Answer 1

relative proportions of different sized inorganic particles of silt, sand, and clay

Question 2

Sand

Answer 2

largest soil particle

.05mm-2mm

Question 3

Silt

Answer 3

Medium sized particles

.002mm-.05mm

Question 4

Clay

Answer 4

smallest particles

<.002mm

Question 5

ions

Answer 5

charged (+/-) forms of particles

Question 6

loam

Answer 6

ideal agricultural soil

40% sand

40% silt

20% clay

Question 7

Soil Acidity

Answer 7

pH

most soils 4 to 8

some outside

influences plants, and other life

Question 8

soil taxonomy

Answer 8

classification of soils into 12 orders then into a series

Question 9

spodosols

Answer 9

coniferous forests

acidic O

leached E

Dark B, rich in orgainic material, illuvial

acidic, nutrient poor

Question 10

alfisols

Answer 10

temperate deciduous

brown-gray A

fertile plant litter

Question 11

mollisols

Answer 11

soft plant life

semiarid grasslands

humus-rich A

Question 12

aridisols

Answer 12

arid

no distinct layers of illuviation

not much organic matter

some have salty O

Question 13

Oxisols

Answer 13

low nutrient

tropical, subtropical

little litter because rapid decomposition

A rich with humus

B leached, acidic

Question 14

Sustainable Soil use

Answer 14

wise use of soil so fertility or amount of soil does not drop

benefits future generations

Question 15

Soil erosion

Answer 15

water, wind, ice, other agents

wearing away or removal of soil from land

accelerated by poor management of soil

Question 16

Dust Bowl

Answer 16

In midwest 65% less rainfall than normal

Wheat died, soil vulnerable to wind erosion

Huge dust storms

Question 17

Nutrient Mineral Depletion

Answer 17

crop harvest disrupts nutrient cycling

much of nutrients is taken out of cycle

Question 18

Mineral Depletion in Rainforests

Answer 18

climate, soil type, human intervention-> mineral depletion

nutrient poor soils, moisture absorbed by fungi

clearing of forest disrupts mineral cycle

Question 19

Salinization

Answer 19

soils in arid regions contain many mineral salts

gradual accumulation of salt in soil from improper irrigation techniques

Question 20

Desertifiation

Answer 20

degradation of once fertile range land, or agricultural land into a nonproductive desert