IB ESS Review: Topic 5 Terms Flashcards
Soil system storages and transfers
Storages: Organic matter, nutrients, minerals, air, water.
Transfers: biological mixing, leaching (form organization of soil).
Soil profile
Vertical succesion down through a soil which reveals distinct layers or horizons in the soil.
Biological mixing
large living organisms help mix various soil elements through their movement within the soil through their bodily functions.
Leaching
Water soluble substances are washed out of the soil, reducing fertility.
Characteristics of sand soils
Poor structure, dry, lacks nutrients, low yields, easy penetration, warms quickly.
Characteristics of clay soils
Heavy (few air spaces), drains poorly, holds moisture, compacts easily, difficult for plant roots to grow well, warms slowly in spring
Characteristics of loam soils
Ideal for farming, better infiltration/drainage, least susceptible to erosion, highest in primary productivity.
Primary productivity
Buffer zones
Planted surrounding agricultural land to minimize agricultural runoff.
Soil fertility. What reduces it?
If it is rich in nutrients necessary for plant nutrition. Deforestation, overgrazing, agricultural mismanagement.
Subsistence farming methods
Small, developed over 1000s of years, low productivity, ecologically friendly.
Soil erosion
Soil crusting/compaction increases runoff, decreases infiltration
Toxification
Toxic chemicals in the soil
Saliinsiation
Concentration of abnormally high levels of salts in soils due to degradation.
Desertification
The gradual transformation of habitable land into desert.
Soil conditioners
Materials added to soil to improve soil fertility
Wind reduction
Methods used to reduce the wind’s ability to disturb top soil and a road particles.
Contour plowing
Prevents the downslope movement of water and soil. Prevents moisture from running downhill and reduces erosion considerably.
Strip cultivation
Growing crops in a systematic arrangement of strips across a field
Terracing
Slopes converted into series of flat steps. Used where slopes are to steep for contour plowing.
Nutrient cycling
Some of the plants lost as an output will return as leaf litter in time
Food security
All people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain healthy lifestyles.
Agro-industrialization
Large scale, capital intensive, monoculture, highly mechanized, low labor, heavy use of fertilizers. Natural consequence of the globalization of agriculture.
Pedogenis
The process of soil development
Food wastte
Edible food thrown away at retail/consumer levels.
Food loss
Food that spills, spoils, reduced quality, lost before retailer or consumer. Occurs at the front of the food chain.
Humus
Breakdown of organics. Makes soil more fertile.
