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Forest Ecology & Management > Chapter 5: Forest Soils > Flashcards

Chapter 5: Forest Soils Flashcards

1
Q

This is the upper, unconsolidated layer of earth surface

A

Soil

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2
Q

What are the two main components of soil?

A

Organic and mineral parts

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3
Q

What three things does soil provide to plants?

A

Support, water, nutrients

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4
Q

What are five types of organisms that make up soil communities?

A

Bacteria, fungi, protists, invertebrates, and vertebrates

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5
Q

Generally, what percent of soil is mineral?

A

45%

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6
Q

Generally, what percent of soil is water?

A

25%

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7
Q

Generally, what percent of soil is air?

A

25%

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8
Q

Generally, what percent of soil is organic matter?

A

5%

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9
Q

What is the term for soil creation?

A

Pedogenesis

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10
Q

What are the five factors of soil formation?

A

Parent material, climate, biota, topography, time

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11
Q

Parent material is the source of this soil component

A

Mineral component

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12
Q

What are the two main sources of parent material?

A

Decomposed bedrock and transported material

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13
Q

What three aspects of soil does parent material affect?

A

Fertility, soil depth, and development rate

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14
Q

This type of soil formation is deposited by ice/glaciers

A

Morainal

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15
Q

What 5 elements make up morainal soils?

A

Boulders, stones, sand, silt, clay

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16
Q

This type of soil formation is deposited by flowing glacial meltwater

A

Fluvioglacial

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17
Q

What two elements make up most of fluvioglacial soils?

A

Sand and gravel

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18
Q

This type of soil formation is deposited by lake water

A

Lacustrine

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19
Q

What two elements make up most of lacustrine soils?

A

Silt and clay

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20
Q

This type of soil formation is deposited by stream water

A

Alluvial

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21
Q

What three elements make up most of alluvial soils?

A

Sand, silt, clay

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22
Q

This type of soil formation is deposited by wind

A

Eolian

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23
Q

What two elements make up most of eolian soils?

A

Very fine sand and silt

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24
Q

This type of soil formation is deposited by gravity

A

Colluvial

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25
Q

What three elements make up most of colluvial soils?

A

Sand, silt, bedrock fragments

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26
Q

What are five influences of climate on soil?

A

Weathering parent material; Erosion/transport of soil; Decomposition rates; Soil organic matter inputs; Decomposer biota

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27
Q

This is the breakdown of parent material; the first step in soil formation

A

Weathering

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28
Q

What are three ways soil biota affect soil formation?

A

Source of organic component; Organisms affect SOM accumulation; Organisms decompose and mix SOM

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29
Q

This topographical feature modifies other factors in soil formation

A

Relief

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30
Q

Are soils deeper and wetter on ridges?

A

No

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31
Q

Are soils deeper and wetter in depressions?

A

Yes

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32
Q

These topographical features restrict drainage

A

Shallow water tables

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33
Q

Which slope aspect is wetter, northern or southern?

A

Northern

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34
Q

Which slope aspect has lower organic matter, northern or southern?

A

Southern

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35
Q

What are two effects of topographic relief on soils?

A

Erosion and transport

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36
Q

Do soils take a short time to develop?

A

No

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37
Q

Do physical and biological properties of soils change with age?

A

Yes

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38
Q

Soils develop this as they age

A

Layered structure

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39
Q

What are soil layers called?

A

Horizons

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40
Q

What are the four horizon-forming processes?

A

Additions, losses, translocations, transformations

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41
Q

What are five examples of soil additions?

A

Sediments, SOM, water, air, solar energy

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42
Q

What are three examples of soil losses?

A

Evapotranspiration, erosion, leaching

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43
Q

What are three examples of soil translocations?

A

SOM movement, particle movement, movement of nutrients between layers

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44
Q

What are two examples of soil transformations?

A

Chemical changes and physical changes within layers

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45
Q

On what basis do soil scientists classify different soils?

A

Horizons

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46
Q

What soil horizons do capital letters identify?

A

Master horizons

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47
Q

What do lowercase and numeric suffixes denote in soil horizons?

A

Additional traits

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48
Q

This soil horizon is made up of surface litter, an organic layer of decaying plant and animal tissue

A

O horizon

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49
Q

This soil horizon is the mineral horizon below O, and is made up of humified SOM mixed with mineral material

A

A horizon

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50
Q

What is the A horizon also known as?

A

Topsoil

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51
Q

This soil horizon is the zone of leaching, and is made up of leached minerals and organic matter

A

E horizon

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52
Q

What is the E horizon also known as?

A

Eluvial zone

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53
Q

In what type of soils is an E horizon found?

A

Older, developed soils

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54
Q

This soil horizon is a zone of clays and minerals leached from above

A

B horizon

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55
Q

What is the B horizon also known as?

A

Subsoil

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56
Q

This soil horizon is made up of unweathered parent material (decomposed bedrock or transported material), and has little soil formation

A

C horizon

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57
Q

What is the C horizon also known as?

A

Substratum

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58
Q

What is the C horizon/substratum the source of?

A

Geological components of soil

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59
Q

This horizon is hard bedrock

A

R horizon

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60
Q

What are three soil color forming factors?

A

Mineral content, SOM, drainage/soil moisture

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61
Q

What does brown soil indicate?

A

High SOM

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62
Q

What does red soil indicate?

A

Well drained, high iron

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63
Q

What does grey soil indicate?

A

Poorly drained

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64
Q

This is used to classify color

A

Munsell color chart

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65
Q

This describes the mix of soil mineral particles

A

Soil texture

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66
Q

What are the three classes of particles that make up soil texture?

A

Clay, silt, sand

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67
Q

This soil particle is between 0.000 and 0.002 mm

A

Clay

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68
Q

This type of soil particle is between 0.002 and 0.050 mm

A

Silt

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69
Q

This type of soil particle is between 0.050 and 2.000 mm

A

Sand

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70
Q

This describes the physical arrangement of soil particles

A

Soil structure

71
Q

What two things does soil structure affect?

A

Drainage and fertility

72
Q

From what five factors does soil structure arise?

A

Chemistry; SOM; Organisms; Wetting/drying; Freezing/thawing

73
Q

What are four characteristics of sandy soils?

A

Larger pores, low total porosity, dry, infertile

74
Q

What are four characteristics of silt and clay soils?

A

Smaller pores, higher total porosity, wetter, more fertile

75
Q

What soil type is the optimal mix of the three soil particles?

A

Loamy soils

76
Q

Loamy soils have the best mix of these two soil characteristics

A

Porosity and fertility

77
Q

What are five shapes produced by soil structure?

A

Granules, blocks, prisms, columns, plates

78
Q

What are four functions of organic matter in soils?

A

Creates soil structure; Improves aeration/drainage; Source of soil nutrients; Energy source for soil food web

79
Q

Most SOM comes from this

A

Litter

80
Q

Litter is broken down into these two molecules

A

CO2 and H2O

81
Q

The breakdown of litter releases these two things into the soil

A

Energy and nutrients

82
Q

Tree litter is high in these two substances

A

Cellulose and lignin

83
Q

How do cellulose and lignin affect the decomposition rate of tree litter?

A

Both slow decomposition rate

84
Q

Litter decomposition creates this

A

Humus

85
Q

What is humus?

A

The dark, amorphous end product of decomposition

86
Q

For how long can humus persist?

A

Millenia

87
Q

What are two reasons why humus is essential to soils?

A

Acts as a cement for soil structure; Source of soil nutrients

88
Q

Soil acts as a reservoir for this

A

Water

89
Q

What are the 7 roles of soil water?

A

Plant resource; Transport; Soil consistency; Aeration; Soil temperature; Soil biota; Erosion/deposition

90
Q

What are five factors that influence soil moisture?

A

Climate; Vegetation; Soil permeability; Soil storage capacity; Topography

91
Q

What are three factors that determine soil water holding capacity?

A

Soil texture; Soil structure; Organisms

92
Q

How does soil texture affect soil water holding capacity?

A

Texture affects porosity

93
Q

What is soil porosity?

A

Gaps of air between grains in a soil

94
Q

Is the porosity of clay soils greater than sandy soils?

A

Yes

95
Q

How does soil structure affect soil water holding capacity?

A

Soil particles aggregate, creating large pores/seams

96
Q

What are two ways organisms affect soil water holding capacity?

A

Burrowing animals create tunnels; Tree roots create channels

97
Q

What are the three fractions of soil water?

A

Gravitational water; Capillary water; Hygroscopic water

98
Q

This type of soil water is held in cavities/large pores after rain, and is drained by gravity

A

Gravitational water

99
Q

This type of soil water is held in small pores against gravity

A

Capillary water

100
Q

What is capillary water also known as?

A

Available water

101
Q

This type of soil water adheres strongly to soil particles and is unavailable to plants

A

Hygroscopic water

102
Q

What are the three quantities of soil water storage?

A

Saturation point; Field capacity; Permanent wilting point

103
Q

This soil water storage point happens when all pores and cavities are filled with water

A

Saturation point

104
Q

What is the equation for the saturation point?

A

SP = Gw + Cw + Hw

105
Q

This soil water storage point is the remainder after large pores drain

A

Field capacity

106
Q

What is the equation for field capacity?

A

FC = SP - Gw

107
Q

This soil water storage point is the fraction after available water is exhausted and leads to plant wilt

A

Permanent wilting point

108
Q

What is the equation for the permanent wilting point?

A

PWP = FC - Cw

109
Q

What type of soil has the highest available water?

A

Loamy soils

110
Q

In what two U.S. areas is soil moisture highest?

A

Mississippi Valley and Great Plains

111
Q

These soil organisms are over 20mm long and include moles, rabbits, and rodents

A

Megafauna

112
Q

These soil organisms are 2-20mm long and include worms, beetles, centipedes, slugs, and ants

A

Macrofauna

113
Q

These soil organisms are 100um-2mm and include mites and springtails

A

Mesofauna

114
Q

These soil organisms are 1-100um and include bacteria, fungi, protists, and nematodes

A

Microfauna/flora

115
Q

Soil biota are crucial for this process

A

SOM decomposition

116
Q

These two types of soil organisms fragment, shred, and mix SOM

A

Macrofauna and mesofauna

117
Q

These soil organisms respire SOM for energy and mineralize nutrients

A

Microfauna/flora

118
Q

This process converts organic minerals to inorganic form

A

Mineralization

119
Q

These microbes outnumber bacteria in forests and are more tolerant of low soil pH

A

Fungi

120
Q

These fungi are root mutualists that aid in uptake of water and nutrients

A

Mycorrhizae

121
Q

These fungi feed on dead organic matter

A

Saprophytic fungi

122
Q

These microbes are also important decomposers, and are more abundant in grasslands than fungi

A

Bacteria

123
Q

What are three roles that tree roots play in forest soils?

A

Source of SOM (from sloughing tissue during growth); Create channels that aid water movement and root growth; Grip and stabilize soils to reduce erosion losses

124
Q

This is the zone around roots

A

Rhizosphere

125
Q

What three microbes are found in high concentrations in the rhizosphere?

A

Bacteria, fungi, protists

126
Q

What are three ways roots exert influence on soil chemistry?

A

Exuding sugars/proteins; Releasing H+ to solubilize nutrients; Releasing allelopathic chemicals

127
Q

This is the acidity or alkalinity of soil solution

A

Soil pH

128
Q

What are two things that soil pH affects?

A

Biology and nutrient availability

129
Q

Do grassland soils have a lower pH than forest soils?

A

No

130
Q

Why do trees release H+?

A

To free soil nutrients

131
Q

Do conifer soils have a lower pH than broadleaf soils?

A

Yes

132
Q

Do wet soils tend to be acidic?

A

Yes

133
Q

What are five examples of cations that are key plant nutrients?

A

Ca2+, Mg+, Fe3+, K+, NH4+

134
Q

What is the source of cations?

A

Breakdown of SOM and minerals

135
Q

Cations are highly mobile in this part of soil

A

Soil water

136
Q

Are cations not attracted to any soil particles?

A

No

137
Q

This is a measure of soil fertility, the capacity of soil to retain cations

A

Cation exchange capacity

138
Q

What are two factors that influence cation exchange capacity?

A

Surface area and surface charge

139
Q

What surface area do sandy soils have?

A

Very low

140
Q

What surface area do clay soils have?

A

Low to high

141
Q

Can humus exceed high clays in surface area?

A

Yes

142
Q

These two soil types have negative charge

A

Clays and humus

143
Q

Do high CEC soils lose nutrients?

A

No

144
Q

Does soil CEC decrease as the amount of clay rises?

A

No

145
Q

Does soil CEC increase as the amount of humus rises?

A

Yes

146
Q

Does soil CEC decrease as soil pH increases?

A

No

147
Q

Cations are displaced from clay-humus by these

A

H+ ions

148
Q

What is the order of cation attachment strength for five major cations?

A

H+>Ca2+>Mg2+>K+>Na+

149
Q

This mixes with soil water to produce carbonic acid

A

CO2

150
Q

These displace nutrients from soil particles

A

Acids

151
Q

This describes how “full” the soil surface is

A

Base saturation

152
Q

These six macronutrients are needed in large quantities by plants

A

N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S

153
Q

These eleven micronutrients are needed in small quantities by plants

A

Fe, Mn, B, Cu, Mo, Zn, Cl, Co, Ni, Na, Si

154
Q

Soil classification is based on these two factors

A

Formative factors and soil properties

155
Q

What are the six levels of soil classification used by the USDA?

A

Order, suborder, great group, subgroup, family, series

156
Q

What are three examples of soil orders named for their unique parent materials?

A

Andisols, Histosols, Vertisols

157
Q

What are three examples of soil orders named for their unique environments?

A

Aridisols, Gelisols, Oxisols

158
Q

What are three examples of soil orders named for their age of development?

A

Entisols, Inceptisols, Ultisols

159
Q

What are three examples of soil orders named for vegetative influence?

A

Alfisols, Mollisols, Spodosols

160
Q

What are the four important forest soil orders?

A

Oxisols, Ultisols, Alfisols, Spodosols

161
Q

These soils are old, leached, and infertile, with <35% base saturation

A

Ultisols

162
Q

What are two types of forests where Ultisols are found?

A

Southeastern pine and pine/oak forests

163
Q

These forest soils have relatively high fertility and >35% base saturation

A

Alfisols

164
Q

What are two types of forests where Alfisols are found?

A

Oak-hickory forests and northern hardwood forests

165
Q

These are sandy, acid forest soils found in cold, humid climates

A

Spodosols

166
Q

What are three types of forests where Spodosols are found?

A

Northern hardwood forests, Great Lakes hardwood forests, and boreal forests

167
Q

These are intensely weathered soils that are leached and nutrient poor

A

Oxisols

168
Q

In what type of forests are Oxisols found?

A

Tropical forests

169
Q

What are Ultisol E and B horizon characteristics?

A

Yellow E and red clayey B

170
Q

What are Alfisol E and B horizon characteristics?

A

Grey E and brown clayey B

171
Q

What are Spodosol E and B horizon characteristics?

A

Grey E and reddish brown B

172
Q

Spodosol B horizons are often high in this

A

Humus

173
Q

What are Oxisol soil horizon characteristics?

A

Red and highly oxidized

Forest Ecology & Management (11 decks)

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