Environmental Science - Chapter 13 Flashcards
True or False. An important function of soil is to buffer and detoxify chemicals.
True
True or False. Humus is not important to soil fertility.
False
True or False. Physical, chemical, and biological factors contribute to soil formation.
True
True or False. Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic material, living organisms, air and water.
True
True or False. Desert soils have a thick A horizon
False
True or False. Geologic processes build and erode the earth’s surface.
True
True or False. Strip farming is a type of soil conservation or quality management practice.
True
True or False. Misuse of soil can reduce soil fertility.
True
True or False. Terracing, waterways, and windbreaks can help reduce soil erosion.
True
Maintaining good soil quality involves
- practices that limit compaction of the soil.
- planting different crops in a field in different years.
- adding new organic matter in the form of manure or by incorporating crop residue into the soil.
This soil texture is best for agricultural use
Loam
Because it has good aeration, drainage and nutrient retention.
This soil management strategy will increase soil quality
keep the ground covered
The surface of the Earth is altered by
- plate tectonics
- abrasion
- chemical weathering
- erosion
The A horizon
contains more nutrients than the B horizons.
By avoiding excessive tillage, soil quality is enhanced by
minimizing loss of organic matter.
The horizon with the highest amount of organic matter
A horizon
Conservation tillage methods __________ than conventional tillage.
Experience less topsoil loss
Physical processes affecting the break down of parent material are
- freezing and thawing
- glaciers
- flowing water
A pioneer organism that colonizes the surfaces of bare rocks
lichens
A soil profile that contains material leached from other horizons
B
Humus
- is formed from organic matter.
- decreases the pH of the soil.
- helps to form pores that help aerate the soil.
Name of the process in which the chemical structure of rock is altered when it combines with water molecules to form new compounds
chemical weathering
Weathering
Physical and chemical processes involved in the breakdown of parent material into soil.
Parent material
Material that is weathered to become the mineral part of the soil.
Mechanical weathering
Process of breaking up large particles by physical forces.
soil profile
A series of horizontal layers of different chemical composition, physical properties, particle size, and amount of organic matter.
Humus
Soil type with good drainage and texture that is ideal for agriculture.
Chemical weathering
Process of breaking up large particles by chemical reactions.
Terrace
Level area constructed on steep slopes for agricultural purposes.
The soil layer that contains broken parts of parent rock
C
main particles that make up soil
sand, silt, and clay
