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unit 5 Flashcards

1
Q

what is soil?

A
  • complex ecosystem
  • made up of minerals, organic material, gases and liquids which forms the habitat for many animals and plants
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2
Q

facts about soil!!!

A
  • all food we consume depends on soil
  • soil is a habitat for many organisms
  • as well as holding water and mineral nutrients that plants depend upon, soils act as a massive filter for any water that passes through it, often altering the chemistry of that water
  • soils store and transfer heat so affecting atmospheric temperature which in turn can affect the interactions between soil and atmospheric moisture
  • soils are part of the lithosphere where life processes and soil forming processes take place
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3
Q

storages

A

organic matter, organisms, nutrients, minerals, air and water

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4
Q

transfers within the soil

A

biological mixing, translocation (moving of soil particles in suspension) and leaching (minerals dissolved in water moved through soil)

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5
Q

inputs

A

organic material including leaf litter and inorganic matter from parent material, precipitation and energy

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6
Q

outputs

A

uptake by plants and soil erosion

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7
Q

transformations

A

decomposition, weathering and nutrient cycling

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8
Q

four main components that make up soil

A
  • mineral particles mainly from the underlying rock
  • organic remains that have come from plants and animals
  • water within spaces between soil grains
  • air also within the soil grains
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9
Q

horizons

A

processes such as downward and upward movement of minerals leads to soil being processed in distinct horizons (levels)

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10
Q

top layer vs lower layers

A

top layer often rich in organic material whilst lower layer consists of inorganic material

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11
Q

translocation

A

materials are sorted and layers are formed by carrying water particles either up or down

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12
Q

types of horizons

A

O horizon, A horizon, B horizon, C horizon, R horizon

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13
Q

O horizons

A

uppermost layer; has newly added organic material

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14
Q

A horizon

A

humus builds up - humus layer = “good stuff” and forms via inorganic matter mixed with organic matter

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15
Q

B horizon

A

soluble minerals and organic matter tend to be deposited from the layer above

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16
Q

C horizon

A

mainly weathered rock from which soils forms

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17
Q

R horizon

A

parent material (bedrock)

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18
Q

types of soil texture

A
  1. Sandy: Gritty and fall apart easily
  2. Silty: Slippery and wet; hold together better than sandy soil
  3. Clay: sticky and can be rolled into a ball easily
  4. Loam soil: ideal for agriculture
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19
Q

porosity

A

amount of space between particles

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20
Q

permeability

A

the ease at which gases and liquids pass through soil

21
Q

acidification of soil

A

acid rain causing pollution, adversely affecting soil and causing damage to evergreen forestry

22
Q

fertile soil =

A

non renewable resource

23
Q

main nutrients are

A

Nitrates, Phosphates and Potassium (NPK)
- N: For leaf and stem
- P: For root system
- K: Flower head/fruit

24
Q

types of farming systems

A
  1. Subsistence farming
  2. Commercial farming
  3. Extensive and Intensive
25
subsistence farming
- provision of food by farmers for their community or family - no surplus - low inputs of energy: they are unlikely to produce more than they need
26
commercial farming
- large, profit making scale - monoculture or of one type of animal - high levels of technology
27
extensive and intensive farming
extensive: more use of land with lower density intensive: uses intensive amount of land with higher input
28
basic food facts
- world food production is concentrated in the northern hemisphere temperate zone - Africa: only 7% of land area is cultivated - LEDCs have 80% of the world's human population
29
factors that influence choice of food eaten and grown
- climate - cultural and religious - political - socio-economic
30
history of farming and domestication
- animal domestication: came before crop farming - livestock are useful means of converting plant material
31
arable farming
- seeds of crop plants deliberately sown into the soil - plants are monoculture --> they are grown into high density
32
harvesting
- requires the removal of biomass from the field - net loss of biomass, nutrients, minerals
33
crop rotation
- one way of addressing loss of soil fertility - leguminous crops (beans, peas, soya) add nitrogen to soil
34
farming energy budget
- energy contained within the crop of harvested product per unit area - efficiency: a system with inputs, outputs and storage
35
example: rice production in Borneo and California
borneo: traditional, extensive rice production - low inputs of chemical and energy - high labour intensity - low productivity california: intensive - high inputs of chemical and energy - low labour intensity - high productivity
36
terrestrial vs aquatic food systems
terrestrial: - usually harvested at first (crops) or second trophic level - meat comes from primary consumers (pig, chicken) aquatic: - mostly from higher trophic levels - less efficient than terrestrial because of lack of balance in consumption from trophic levels
37
factors causing a decrease in agricultural land
- soil erosion - salinisation - desertification - urbanisation
38
how to increase sustainability of food supplies
1. Maximizing yield:​ Improve technology, Alter what we grow or a new Green Revolution 2. Reduce food waste:​ Improve storage - LEDC: waste mostly in production and storage (eg: no refrigeration, lack of good storage, severe weather) - MEDC: mostly in consumption → buying more than what's needed, stricter standards in supermarket (round apples only) 3. Monitoring and control:​ Regulate imports and exports to reduce unsustainable agricultural practices 4. Change attitudes towards diet and food:​ eat less meat, eat different crops, increase insect consumption → more protein 5. Reduce food processing:​ Decreases use of transport and packaging (ex: plastic, fuel, etc. - overall decrease in energy use)
39
predictions
- more people will eat meat - population growth - ? - decrease in hungry people to about 440m - extra billion tonnes of cereal will be needed
40
2 types of processes (which give rise to soil degradation):
1. Taking away soil (erosion): Occurs when there is no vegetation in the soil 2. Making soil less suitable for use: - chemicals entering soil which render soil useless in the long run - human activities: overgrazing, deforestation, unsustainable agriculture
41
overgrazing
- when too many animals graze in the same area - leaves bare patches where roots don't hold soil together **Sahel region: Africa --> occurs there (1970s-80s)
42
overcropping
- depletes soil nutrients and makes soil dry (hence risk of erosion) - reduced soil fertility
43
deforestation: removal of forests
- removal of vegetation leads to erosion --> through water as areas with forests are relatively wet
44
unsustainable agriculture techniques
- Total removal of crops after harvest - Plowing in direction of the slope → makes ready-made channels for rainwater to flow down - Excessive use of pesticide - Irrigation - can cause salinization as minerals dissolved in irrigation water remain in the top layer of the soil and form a hard salty crust making the land unsuitable for farming. Case study: Drip technology → Israel - Monocropping: nutrients are depleted and soil loses fertility
45
urbanisation: refers to the increasing number of people that live in urban areas
- more people live in urban regions than in rural for the first time in human history - a lot of potential agriculturally sustainable land is used for cities
46
soil erosion: 3 major processes
1. Sheet wash: surface soil washed away during storm periods/landslides 2. Gullying: channels developing on hillsides after rainfall; become deeper over time 3. Wind erosion: drier soils are removed from the surface from high winds
47
soil conservation
- insert soil conditioners a. chalk, crushed limestone b. counters soil acidification c. lime - wind reduction a. plant trees/bushes between fields or alternate low and high crops (strip cultivation); or build fences - soil conserving cultivation techniques a. terracing b. plowing c. contour farming - improve irrigation techniques
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ESS (8 decks)

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