2.4 Cultural
These include the intangible benefits obtained from the ecosystem (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Soil acts as a substrate for the beautiful scenery provided by landscapes. It is also an archive for archaeological treasures (Biggs 2004) and geological resources which are a significant part of heritage. By regulating greenhouse gases (Soil Science Society of America 2014), soils ensure the availability of clean air for human kind. Soils also provide a medium for the improvement of human living conditions.
3 SOIL FUNCTIONS AS THEY RELATE TO THE ENVIRONMENT, HYDROLOGY AND POLLUTION
Overview
From the above discussion, it is clear that soil links, responds to, and moulds the land, the atmosphere and its climates, surface water and groundwater, and ecosystems (Soil Science Society of America 2014).
3.1 Hydrological Interactions
The loading, movement and distribution of water is regulated in the pedosphere. The soil determines water that will recharge aquifers and water that will be used by living organisms.
Hydrological interactions of the soil can be indicated by:
The ability of the soil to be disturbed in terms of structure and other physical attributes contributing to its depth, its ability to be washed away. Also the attributes of the soil that determine water behaviour with respect to water quantity, water movement paths and other water behaviour patterns in the soil (vanTol 2010).
The amount of salts and sodium in the soil water is also critical in determining the ability of the water to be used for plant growth and development (Pearson 2003).
The soil through its structure and function determine the distribution of water in and trough the soil. When water hit the soil, it will seep into the soil. This is d...
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...from the soil. These organisms include microorganisms, plant and animals. These benefits include;
Organisms require nutrition for growth and development so that they can be physically and structurally healthy. The soil store nutrients reserves which are available as nutrients for organisms through direct uptake for plants especially and through feeding on nutrient –rich organisms e.g. animals grazing on plants
The soil also provides a medium for most organisms to move through. The soil provides aeration for those organisms that require it and other soil conditions are suitable for anaerobic organisms. Through the soils regulating function organisms are provided with an environment with lessened toxicity levels. The soil is also a medium for farming and crop development which are necessary for providing nutrition and economic development to improve human livelihoods.
Osmotic Potential + Pressure Potential Water Potential in Plant Cells : Water will move by osmosis into and out of cells due to differences in water potential between the cell and its surroundings. Remember that water always moves from areas of high potential to areas of low water potential. Some Basic Principles: · Water always moves from high water potential to low water potential. · Water potential is... ...
Nitrogen and Irrigation on Coastal Plains Soils. So why is it important to look at nitrogen in soils? First of all, it is a key element in organic molecules, so it is key to plant growth (Singer and Munns). Nitrogen is useful to plants in the form of nitrate because plants can take in nitrate and form organic molecules (Singer and Munns, 1993).
In this experiment the effects of road salt were tested and analyzed. By recreating solutions of road salt at different concentrations, the effects of salt on the growth of pea plants were measured. As shown by the results, it was clear that tap water without salt concentration was the best option. With both plants A and B, it was shown that far too much salt was present even with the less saline solution. Both plants A and B died after too much exposure to salt whereas the control plant prospered and grew. In fact, it was evident after the first application of salt solution that the plants began to wither and with continued application they simply could not manage to grow. Even after the plants treated with salt were watered with tap water, they could not be saved. With this it is clear that salt at the regular concentration of road salt is poisonous to plants, specifically pea plants. Even when the road salt solution was watered down, as it would be when it is used for the purpose of melting down snow, it is still deadly to the plants affected by it.
The number of seeds germinated/the height of the grass (cm) are and were affected by the salinity of the solution. After the totality of the data was recorded, it was found that the bigger the amount of salt added to the solution the slower the seeds grew. My hypothesis, if different amounts of salt water is added to 6 seeds then the container of dirt with the water with the lowest concentration of salt will have the most seeds germinated and the tallest blades of grass, was completely supported by the data we recorded. The data supported my hypothesis because it shows that the control container (no salt), germinated 12 seeds and grew to an outstanding 9 cm while the the most salt- heavy soil container, 90% salt, had zero germinated seeds and no grass grew at all. Our data and experiment clearly portrays that high concentrations of salt in water leads to ineffective seed
The soil abiotic factor that I used was rain. For example, if rain flooded the box, the plants can “drown” and die. Rain can also indirectly affect a garden organism like a ladybug. This can happen because some ladybugs can eat plants, so when rain affects this, the population of ladybugs are subjected to decreasing. Rain can also indirectly affect a pond organism like a water hyacinth. When rain floods the soil box
Water that has changed throughout the hydrologic process travels from the irrigation treatment and enters into the aquifers. First...
Dispersion of fine soil particles is controlled by a similar mechanism, dispersion is directly influenced by ions adsorbed on particle surfaces, particularly clay minerals. The presence of high sodium, especially at the low salt concentration in the soil water, causes dispersion and movement of fine particles within the pores. The particles may then become lodged in smaller pores, blocking water or air.
History of drying and wetting: soil suction is less during wetting time than it is during drying time.
Take, for example, that livestock agriculture and the plant-based agriculture specifically used for feeding that livestock utilizes 30 percent of land on Earth. With crops in high demand to feed the many animals that are slaughtered or otherwise used by humans, it's been found that the soil has lost a great deal of its nutritional value and has eroded to the point that, in the United States, nearly 33 percent of topsoil is diminished.
Salt and the effects it has on plants in the germination of seeds has been studied for years. There are various factors involved in seed germination like water intake and salinity. Osmosis, "movement of a solvent (such as water) through a semipermeable membrane (as of a living cell) into a solution of higher solute concentration," has always been a significant process in the intake of water for plants. Without the process of osmosis, plants would have been extinct by now. Salt can be either beneficial or detrimental to seed
As a river washed over or flooded its banks, sediment would be left in the soil. This overflow would, in turn, provide nutrients that were needed to successfully grow crops and other vegetation. The fertile soil was greatly prized and made an ideal growing medium for food plants and healthy crops. Since the plants were thriving due to the land environment, civilizations were more likely to settle permanently in these locations providing a steady food supply.
Healthy soil is important because people use it in their everyday lives, it affects us in everything that we do. For example: soil makes up the outermost layer of our plant, soil supports organisms that are essential for a healthy environment, healthy soils are essential for a sustainable environment, our landscape is sustained by soil, we use soil to flourish our food and it helps to keep our drinking water clean, and soil plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of gases in the air that we breathe, trees grow in it, which produce oxygen, and soil is formed from rocks and decaying animals, so the dead animals don’t go to waste. Healthy soil contains 45 percent minerals, 25 percent water, 25 percent oxygen, and 5 percent organic matter. This percentage helps with the soil in the process of keeping plants healthy for organisms to stay zoetic. In the soil there are scads of life dwelling among the soil.
Nutrient are important for plant growth. These are also called essential elements and required for the plant to complete its life cycle. Nutrients are important for growth and development of crop, promotes vegetative and reproductive growth, provides protection against many devastating pathogens that is responsible for the yield loss in many economically important crop. Sixteen important nutrients are vital for plant growth. These are
Soil is the most important non-renewable resource on any farm. Healthy soil is key to a good
The effect of soil salinity in plant growth is part of botany, the study of plants.