Pedosphere

Question 1

What is soil

Answer 1

Soil is the natural medium for the growth of plants
It is a natural body consisting of layers called soil horizons (weathered mineral materials, organic material, air, and water)
Soil is a thin layer, and the end product of combined influences or climate, topography, and organisms on rocks and minerals over time

Question 2

What is Pedosphere

Answer 2

Pedology - study that deals with the nature of soils
Pedogenesis- formation of soil

Question 3

How long does pedogenesis take

Answer 3

It can take between 200-1000 years to produce just 2.5cm of topsoil
This long time horizon makes soil a non-renewable resource

Question 4

What does the soil contain that is essential to plant growth

Answer 4

Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, and other bio-elements such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, etc.

Question 5

What is the use of soil

Answer 5

Soil is a medium for plant growth and we have depended on it for growth and sustenance
Other organisms also use it as shelter and survival (life depends a lot on this final sphere)

Question 6

What is climate in soil formation

Answer 6

Climatic factors such as wind, rain, and temperature changes affect the speed of the weathering process

Question 7

What are organisms in soil formation

Answer 7

Living organisms such as plants, animals, and bacteria add organic matter to oil

Question 8

What is topography in soil formation

Answer 8

Land elevation affects exposure to sun, wind, and water and how soil moves

Question 9

What is the parent material in soil formation

Answer 9

Attributes or qualities of parent material will influence the properties of the soil formed

Question 10

How is time related to soil formation?

Answer 10

Soil formation can take decades, centuries, or even millennia

Question 11

What are the 3 types of weathering

Answer 11

Mechanical, Physical, or Chemical
Physical is the disintegration of rocks into smaller fragments
Reactions under the influence bring about the other dissolved substances (usually acidic) in water

Question 12

What is soil horizon?

Question 13

What does time have to do with soil

Answer 13

The time it takes influences how thick and abundant organic materials are in the soil

Question 14

Soil development

Answer 14

It occurs in stages with time and forms soil horizons or layers of distinct mineral context and texture

Question 15

Soil horizons

Answer 15

It helps us see the changes in color, texture, and thickness
(In order of layers) O - A - E - B - C - R Horizons

Question 16

What are the main layers of soil horizons

Answer 16

(A, B, C) correspond to the topsoil, subsoil, parent material; and an organic (O) horizon.
There are additional layers but these are not always present or in the same order.

Question 17

Characteristics of O horizon

Answer 17

It is the organic layer and it is not always present

Question 18

Characteristics of A and E horizon

Answer 18

It is the topsoil
The zone of organic materials is the most common layer
It is rich in humus (made up of organic materials)
It is rich since it has the highest microbial activity

Question 19

What is the B and C Horizon

Answer 19

It is the subsoil (Elluviation and Illuviation)
The material in the subsoil is unaltered or not significantly altered
(C) It is characterized as the weathered parent material of the soil

Question 20

What is elluviation

Answer 20

The result of rainfall pushing down clay and minerals lower in soil layers
Occurs in the A to E horizon

Question 21

What is illuviation

Answer 21

The result of rainfall moving materials past the E horizon into the B horizon

Question 22

What is the R horizon

Answer 22

It is the bottom of the bedrock
Parent material that is still consolidated

Question 23

What are the different soil properties

Answer 23

Soil Texture
Soil Structure
Soil Color
Soil acidity

Question 24

What is Soil texture

Answer 24

It is the study of different grain sizes
(Smallest to largest) Sand, silt, and Clay
A heterogeneous mixture is beneficial for plant growth
Coarser grains provide structural support
Finer grains absorb and retain nutrients

Question 25

How is soil porosity related to soil texture

Answer 25

It is a quality that looks at the number of spaces or pores per area

Question 26

How is soil permeability related to soil texture

Answer 26

It looks at the capability of water to pass through

Question 27

How are soil permeability and porosity related to soil volume

Answer 27

They determine how much of the soil volume is occupied by water and air, which is important for plant health Greater porosity and permeability mean a higher volume that can be occupied by water; lesser porosity and permeability mean a more tightly- packed and denser soil

Question 28

What is soil structure?

Answer 28

It examines the tendency of soils to group together in lumps and aggregates called peds Ped formation influences water movement, aeration, and porosity of the soil The more it clumps, the more resistant to erosion

Question 29

What is soil color

Answer 29

It reflects its composition. Dark-colored soils (black to very dark brown) indicate richer organic matter It can reveal climatic conditions during soil formation

Question 30

What is soil acidity

Answer 30

it reveals whether it is more alkaline or more acidic The common range is 4-8 pH determines the solubility of some minerals needed for plant growth. Macronutrients are less at low pH and Micronutrients are less at high pH

Question 31

What are the soil nutrients

Answer 31

Nitrogen (N) - is needed for plants to form new cells; essential for plant development Phosphorus (P) - Needed for seed and root development and blooming Potassium (K) - Needed for strong and sturdy stems

Question 32

What is soil and plant dynamics

Answer 32

Organisms help spread and breakdown nutrients and break down humus Mycorrhizae - soil minerals are absorbed by root-like structures of a fungus and are then transferred to the plant; the food produced from photosynthesis is taken up by the fungus

Question 33

How is the soil cycle affecting the soil

Answer 33

It allows minerals and nutrients to cycle through soil to living organisms and back

Question 34

What are soil problems

Answer 34

Agricultural impacts Soil Erosion Deforestation Water logging and salinization Desertification

Question 35

What are the strategies for soil management

Answer 35

Integrated pest management - alternative use for pesticides (more natural) Erosion control - Planting native crops is one way to stabilize soil Conservation tillage - Tilling is reduced and instead, wastes are incorporated into the soil Cropping strategies - Different ways of planting crops to utilize the soil Vermicomposting - Natural process where worms improve soil quality by breaking down key nutrients