Food and Land Part 1 Flashcards
what is an organism?
individual living thing: reacts, grows, reproduces, maintains homeostasis
Eg. plant, animal, virus?, bacterium, fungus
what is an ecosystem?
Interrelationships between environment and living organisms; energy flow
what is wildlife?
undomesticated species, not plants
Housecat not wildlife, tiger, wildlife
what are the 5 environmental affects of food/fibre production.
- soil
- biodiversity loss
- air pollution
- water
- human health
what is soil?
- Mixture of eroded rock, organic matter, nutrients, water, air, living organisms (mostly detritivores)
- Potentially renewable resource
- Filtres and holds water
- Slowly renewed
- Varying levels of maturity
what are soil horizons?
Distinct texture and composition; differs with soil type
what is a mature soil?
has at least 3 horizons
what are the different soil horizons
O horizon
A horizon
B horizon
C horizon
Explain the O horizon?
layer you would see when you look down on non-degraded soil
O stands for organic, leaves and dead organisms, and anything organic “leaf litter”
Major input of nutrients happens, without layer no nutrients in soil
explain A horizon
Topsoil
Essential for food growth
Majority of where roots are
Where organic material is pulled down in layer
Tree roots will go down a little further, most roots in A layer
Most of the nutrients are stored here, where organisms live
Humus - Organic material that has started to breakdown
explain B horizon?
Less organic material
Fewer organisms
Because organic stuff is food for organisms
Larger tree roots, some “parent material” exist
explain c horizon?
Rock that establishes that area
what are the 5 soil types?
- Deciduous forest soil
- Coniferous forest soil
- Tropical rain forest soil
- Grassland soil
- Desert Soil
Explain deciduous forest soil?
Large topsoil, well developed A horizon
We have seasons so every single year on so we have a large input of organic material, large O input, so organic material is food for organism and makes conditions ideal for organisms
Temperature as well creates this well developed A horizon
C horizon there, but broken down significantly over time
explain coniferous forest soil
Acidic litter from pine needles
Acidic conditions not ideal for organic material and organisms
Less well developed A horizon
Acidic, colder, less precipitation
C layer is more prominent, some places all you see is rock or parent material
Not mature if it doesn’t have 3 layers