Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Environmental Systems and Societies IB > topic 5: soil > Flashcards

topic 5: soil Flashcards

1
Q

functions of soil

A
  • plant growth, supplies plants with nutrients and water and a place to grow
  • water storage
  • provides a habitat for living species and organisms that modify soil
  • soil modifies the atmosphere through respiration of plant roots and soil organisms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

sphere name of soil

A

pedosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

factors affecting soil characteristics

A
  • climate
  • organisms
  • relief
  • parent material
  • time
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

factors affecting soil characteristics

climate

A
  • precipitation evaporation balance, direction of water movement
  • wetter/drier soil
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

factors affecting soil characteristics

organisms

A
  • break down the dead organic matter and mix it into the upper layers of soil
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

factors affecting soil characteristics

relief

A
  • elevation, direction and angle of the slope
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

factors affecting soil characteristics

parent material

A
  • organic material the soil develops from, bedrock or drift deposit
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

factors affecting soil characteristics

time

A
  • development of soil, how much time it’s developed for

- non renewable natural capital

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

soil ecosystem

biotic

A

micro-organisms
- bacteria, algae, fungi
macro-organisms
-earthworms, insectes, millipedes, moles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

soil inputs

A
  • minerals, weathering of parent material
  • organic matter, living organisms on or in the soil
  • gasses, plants that fix atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates in the soil, organisms in the soil also respire removing oxygen and adding carbon dioxide
  • water, slope and where the slope is, top of the slop receives the most water
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

soil stores

A
  • organic matter, dead organic matter
  • organisms, adding nutrients when they deposit waste and break down DOM
  • minerals, parent material form the body of soil, may be used by some plants
  • gasses, store of gasses dependent on weather conditions and number of organisms and plant roots, different soil textures different air spaces
  • water, dependent on weather and soil texture
  • nutrients, stored in organic matter but also free in soil
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

soil outputs

A
  • loose minerals, organic matter, wate and gasses through wind
  • plants take nutrients and carbon dioxide from the soil for growth, plants are moved nutrients are lost
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

soil processes, transfers and transformations

leeching and evaporation

A
  • water moving down the soil layers and dissolve soluble materials
  • areas of high evaporation water moves upwards, high temp moves the water up, salts are left behind (salinization)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

soil processes, transfers and transformations

decomposition

A
  • fungi, algae and bacteria

- transformation of organic matter to nutrients increases soil fertility

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

soil processes, transfers and transformations

weathering

A
  • breakdown of parent material adding minerals to soil

- dependent on climate and type of rock

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

soil profile top to bottom

A
  • o
  • a
  • b
  • c
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

o horizon

organic layer, humus

A
  • top layer of soil
  • includes all DOM that accumulates on top of the soil
  • DOM becomes humus which mixes into soil over time
18
Q

a horizon
topsoil
minerals, humus

A
  • second top soil, mineral layer
  • dark in color, high organic matter
  • highest biological
  • often absent in clay
19
Q

b horizon

subsoil, minerals

A
  • sub soil zone of accumulation
  • minerals and particles washed into this horizon by ones above (illuviation)
  • plant roots likely but very little humus
20
Q

c horizon

parent rock, partially weathered

A
  • decomposed parent material
  • not really impacted by soil processes
  • large lumps of parent material
21
Q

soil texture

A
  • proportions of sand, silt and clay

- result of parent material and type of weathering

22
Q

sandy particle properties

A
  • gritty
  • large particles and space between them
  • well drained, rarely water logged
  • subject to drought
  • warm up fast in summer
23
Q

clay particle properties

A
  • sticky
  • smallest particles small space
  • poorly drained, prone to water logging
  • long time to dry out
  • warm up slowly
24
Q

silt particle properties

A
  • smooth
  • too small for the human eye
  • texture in between clay and sand
25
Q

soil nutrient retention

A
  • finer soils tend to store more nutrients

- ideal mix of sand silt and clay (loam) for agriculture

26
Q

Norman Borlaug

A
  • 1940s green revolution
  • change in agricultural productivity
  • synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, mechanization and other technological developments
  • increased food yield
27
Q

low income countries food security

A
  • low food security
  • intense methods of food production
  • increased environmental problems
  • fertilizers and pesticides, pollution of aquatic systems
  • irrigation can lead to soil salinization
  • high crop production, soil nutrient deficiency and soil degradation
28
Q

factors influncing type of farming

A
  • environmental conditions, suitable for certain plants or animals
  • access to technology and vehicles
  • available funds to purchase land and inputs
  • cultural and EVS
  • government and political initiatives
29
Q

intensive commercial farms use

A
  • GMOs for higher yields
  • fertilizers to encourage max growth
  • herbicides to kill weeds
  • insecticides
  • water
  • mechanical equipment
  • automated technologies
  • more frequent sowing to increase the number of harvests
30
Q

environmental impacts of intensive commercial farms

A
  • pesticides can kill non target organisms reducing overall biodiversity, some can bioaccumulate and magnify growing up concentrations in food chain
  • fertilizers, nutrient run off, eutrophication
  • uses limited water sources for agriculture
  • monoculture increases risk of disease, impacts all crops
  • mechanical equipment, non renewable fossil fuels and ghgs
  • excessive irrigation, soil degradation, nutrient run off, salination
  • loss of natural habitats, loss of biodiversity
  • loss of pollinators such as bees due to pesticides
31
Q

concerns of intensive animal farming

A
  • rapid spread of disease
  • ethical concern
  • growth hormones, health problems in humans, animal waste into the environment
  • antibiotic use, disease resistant
  • high concentration of organic waste matter, pollute water systems
32
Q

organic farming techniques

A
  • physical removal of pests or weeds
  • introduction of native biological predators
  • manure and compost for fertilizer
  • crop rotation, different crops grown each year, maintain soil fertility, reduce buildup of soil pests
  • livestock fed without routine use of drugs and growth hormones, space to move
33
Q

consumers that drive organic farming

A
  • greater health concerns
  • ethical concerns
  • increased awareness of production methods
  • increased income and standard of living
34
Q

subsistence farming systems

A
  • nomadic livestock herding, shifting cultivation

- meeting the demands of family or community

35
Q

shifting agriculture

A
  • slash and burn
  • farmed until loss of all soil fertility
  • farms another area and the burnt one grows back
  • low human population can be a sustainable system
  • not effective for high populations
36
Q

nomadic herding

A
  • moving animals to search for suitable grazing areas
  • often traditional to africa
  • low inputs and outputs
37
Q

intensive subsistence farming

A
  • produce enough food to feed their families, slight surplus to sell
  • traditional labour intensive
38
Q

reasons for hunger

A
  • poverty. cant afford
  • poor infrastructure, limited access and distribution
  • extreme weather events
  • war and displacement of people
  • food waste, estimated 1/3 food produced lost/wasted each year
39
Q

food waste

A
  • pests
  • loss during preparation
  • inadequate/ unreliable transport
  • perishable, poor storage
  • damaged, inappropriate size, misshapen
  • consumer behaviour
  • best before/display by date
  • excess food purchased
40
Q

ways to reduce food waste

A
  • changing individual behaviour, raising awareness of food waste
  • encouraging collaboration between different steps in the food supply chain, identify problems
  • farmers matching demand
  • improvements to transportation and preservation, packaging

Environmental Systems and Societies IB (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions