Ch.10, Sect.4: Soil Conservation Please Copy in your IAN Objectives: 1) 3 Benefits of Soil 2) 4 methods of preventing soil damage Review: Answer the following questions, Has there always been soil on Earth? What makes soil valuable to humans?

litter (O horizon) topsoil subsoil weathered parent material bedrock (R horizon) Soil Horizons

ClimateSoil TypeCharacteristics Tropical Rain Forest Nutrient poor Nutrient poor Thin topsoil Thin topsoil Humid air/warm temps Humid air/warm temps Large amounts of rain Large amounts of rain Desert Salt creates toxic soil Salt creates toxic soil Very little rain Very little rain Low rate of chemical weathering yields less soil creation Low rate of chemical weathering yields less soil creation Temperate Forest and Grassland Thick fertile soil Thick fertile soil Frequent changes in temp leading to frost action Frequent changes in temp leading to frost action Receive lots of rain for chemical weathering Receive lots of rain for chemical weathering Arctic Thin and unable to support many plants Thin and unable to support many plants Limited nutrients Limited nutrients Little rain Little rain Low soil temps prevent decomposition Low soil temps prevent decomposition

1. Which of the following soil properties influences soil moisture? a. soil horizon b. soil fertility c. soil structure d. soil pH 2. Which of the following soil properties influences how nutrients can be dissolved in soil? a. soil texture b. soil fertility c. soil structure d. soil pH 3. If a soil sample is 60% sand particles and has 30 million particles of soil, how many of those soil particles are sand? 4.Identifying Relationships In which type of climate would leaching be more common—tropical rain forest or desert? 30 million x 60% = 18 million Tropical rain forests, why?

“The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself” –Franklin D. Roosevelt  Tech Term:  1) soil conservation- a method to maintain the fertility of the soil by protecting the soil from erosion and nutrient loss.  The Importance of Soil:  Provides minerals and nutrients for plants to grow  If plants do not get enough food, neither do animals. Why?  Housing/Habitat  Water Storage **Did you know??** Cryptogamic Soil…

Soil Damage and Loss: **It takes 500 years for 2 cm of soil to form**  Soil Damage and Loss: poor farming, overgrazing  Tech Terms  2) Land degradation- desertification, making land infertile  3) erosion- the process when wind, water, or gravity transport soil and sediment from one location to another **Roots = Anchors**

Soil Conservation Techniques  4) Contour Plowing- rows of plowing across a slope of hills to act like dams  5) Terracing – with steep hills, you make a series of smaller, flatter fields (steps)  6) no-till farming – leave old stalks behind

More Techniques  7) cover crops – crops planted between harvests to replace nutrients and prevent erosion  Ex. Cotton plants vs. George Washington Carver  8) Crop rotation – planting different crops from year to year

Section Review  How can human activity affect soil erosion?  Positive  negative  What are 3 benefits soil provides?  How does crop rotation benefit soil?