Chapter 15 Vocab #1 Adam Farid

Question 1

Great Green Wall

Answer 1

Wall in the Gobi desert with over 300 million trees that was planted starting in the 1950’s. This wall now exceeds 100,000 square kilometers. This wall helps to reduce severity and frequency of large dust storms in China now.

Question 2

Desertification

Answer 2

The progressive degradation of grassland and other productive lands into unproductive desert. This is a problem that is continually happening in China.

Question 3

Soil

Answer 3

The relatively thin surface layer of Earth’s crust consisting of mineral and organic matter modified by the natural actions of weather, wind, water, and organisms. Supports many living life forms as a surface to live on.

Question 4

Parent Material

Answer 4

Rock that is slowly broken down, or fragmented into smaller particles by biological, chemical, and physical weathering processes in nature

Question 5

Weathering processes

Answer 5

A way for soil to be formed from parent material. Could include, wind and water (erosion)

Question 6

Topography

Answer 6

A region’s surface features (mountains, oceans, etc.)

Involved in soil formation

Question 7

Soil composition

Answer 7

Properties that soil have, the soil system has four parts, 45% soil, 5% organic matter, 25% water, and 25% air.

Question 8

Litter (in soil terms)

Answer 8

Dead leaves and branches on the soils surface

Question 9

Soil organic material

Answer 9

Made from litter, animal dung, dead remains of plants, animals, microorganisms all decompose

Question 10

Humus

Answer 10

Mix of many organic compounds, binds to nutrient mineral ions and holds water

Is the dark brown in soil.

Question 11

Pore space

Answer 11

There is multiple pore spaces in soil and among its particles. Consists of soil water and soil air

Water drains rapidly from large pore spaces

Question 12

Soil water

Answer 12

Water that occupies the pore space of a soil particle, when soil is wet, it is mostly soil water, necessary for plants to survive

Question 13

Soil air

Answer 13

Air that is in pore space of soil particles, when soil is dry, most of it is soil air

Necessary for plants to survive

Question 14

Leaches

Answer 14

Percolates of roots that absorbs water

Question 15

Illuviation

Answer 15

Deposition of leached material in the lower layers of soil

Question 16

Carbonic Acid in soil

Answer 16

Comes from soil water as carbon dioxide, weak acid that accelerates the weathering process during soil formation

Question 17

Soil horizons

Answer 17

Different, distinctive horizontal layers of soil that are clearly visible when there is a deep vertical cut into the ground

Question 18

Soil profile

Answer 18

Vertical section from surface to parent material. Showing the soil horizons

Question 19

O-Horizon

Answer 19

The uppermost layer of the soil, rich in organic material, where plant litter is and gradually decays

Almost completely absent in the desert

Question 20

A-Horizon

Answer 20

Just beneath o-horizon

Dark and rich in accumulated organic matter and humus, nutrient poor because of leaching

Question 21

E-Horizon

Answer 21

Below a- horizon

Is heavily leached

Question 22

B-Horizon

Answer 22

Lighter colored sub-soil beneath the e and a horizons is where there is an accumulation of clay and nutrient minerals that leached out of the topsoil and litter accumulate

Question 23

C-Horizon

Answer 23

Beneath b-horizon
Contains weathered pieces of rock and borders the I weathered solid parent material
Often saturated with groundwater, below extent of most roots

Question 24

Ecosystem services

Answer 24

What soil organisms provide, includes maintaining soil fertility by decaying and cycling organic material, preventing soil erosion, breaking down toxic materials, cleansing water, affecting the composition of the atmosphere

Question 25

Worms

Answer 25

Very important in soil, ingest soil and obtain energy and raw materials from humus, and release castings

They aerate the soil and spread around minerals to many sections of the soil

Question 26

Castings

Answer 26

Basically worm poop, good because it bring minerals from the deeper levels of the soil and release it in the shallower levels

Question 27

Mycorrhizae

Answer 27

Relationship between fungi and roots of vascular plants

Help plants absorb adequate amounts of essential nutrient minerals from the soil

Question 28

Mycelium

Answer 28

Thread like body of the fungi that helps the soil

Nutrient minerals absorbed from the soil by the fungus are transferred to the plant, whereas food produced by photosynthesis in the plant is delivered to the fungus

Enhances the growth of fungi

Question 29

Nutrient cycling

Answer 29

Decomposition is part of this,

Bacteria and fungi decompose plant and animal detritus and wastes, transforming large organic molecules, including carbon dioxide, water, and nutrient minerals, the nutrient minerals are released into the soil to be used again.