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Environment The Science Behind The Stories Second Canadian Edition With Myenvironmentplace Canadian 2Nd Edition Withgott Solutions Manual
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7
Soils Resources
Chapter Objectives
This chapter will help students
Identify the causes and predict the consequences of soil erosion and soil
degradation
Outline the history and explain the basic principles of soil conservation
Lecture Outline
I. Central Case: Mer Bleue: A Bog of International Significance
1. Mer Bleue is a conservation area just east of Ottawa in an
old channel of the Ottawa River.
2. The bog has a number of unusual plant species that are
specially adapted to moist, boggy acidic conditions.
3. It is representative of the peat bogs of Canada.
4. Canada’s peatlands are among the most extensive in the
world.
V. Protecting Soils
A. Erosion control practices protect and restore plant cover
1. Crop rotation is the practice of alternating the kind of crop
grown in a particular field from one season or year to the
next.
2. Contour farming consists of ploughing furrows along the
natural contours of the land.
3. The planting of alternating bands of different crops across a
slope is called intercropping.
4. Terracing, cutting level platforms into hillsides, is used on
extremely steep terrain.
VI. Conclusion
1. Many policies enacted and practices followed in Canada and
worldwide have been quite successful in reducing erosion.
2. Many challenges remain; better technologies and wider
adoption of soil conservation techniques are needed to avoid
a food crisis.
Key Terms
A horizon extensification
agriculture fertilizer
agroforestry Green Revolution
alley cropping horizon
B horizon humus
bedrock industrialized agriculture
Biological weathering inorganic fertilizer
C horizon intensification
cation exchange intercropping
chemical weathering irrigation
clay leaching
compaction loam
compost mechanical weathering
contour farming monoculture
crop rotation no-till
cropland O horizon
deposition organic fertilizer
desertification overgrazing
erosion parent material
Teaching Tips
1. Bring soil samples to class on which students can conduct a soil texture “feel test.” In
general, sandy soils feel gritty, silty soils feel like flour, and clay soils are sticky
when moistened. Soils feel different because of the size of the most abundant particle
type.
Particles are categorized as follows:
Sand: 2.0–0.05 mm in diameter
Silt: 0.05–0.002 mm in diameter
Clay: less than 0.002 mm in diameter
2. For students to better grasp the differences in soil particle size, have them visualize a
barrel to represent a sand particle, a plate to represent a silt particle, and a dime to
represent a clay particle. Because most soils are a combination of sand, silt, and clay
particles, soil scientists use a more complicated method to determine the percent
composition of each type. A good addition to this soils lab would be to give each
group of students 100 g of soil from a different location. Have them run the soil
through a set of soil sieves and then weigh the fractions to determine the percent
composition of the different particle types (four or five types, depending on the soil
sieves, ranging from gravel to clay). Have students make a pie chart or a bar graph
illustrating the composition of their soil. Have students compare their results with
those of other groups that have soils from other areas.
3. Soil formation is a very slow process, and in some cases it can take 500 years for one
inch of soil to develop. To emphasize the importance of soil conservation, use the
timeline below to demonstrate the time required to form 2.5 cm of soil:
2002: West Nile virus infects humans in Canada.
1996: The first animal, Dolly the sheep, is cloned from an adult cell.
1989: The Berlin Wall is torn down.
1970: The first Earth Day is celebrated.
1962: The Beatles, a British pop group, make their first recordings.
1945: World War II ends.
1934: Dust Bowl occurs in the Great Plains.
4. Demonstrate runoff and erosion. First, put a piece of grass sod on a cafeteria tray.
Have a student pour water over the sod using a watering can or a spray bottle to
simulate rain. Observe the runoff. Repeat this procedure using a pile of loose dirt on a
second tray. Compare the runoff. Repeat the procedure with each tray held at a 20- to
30-degree angle to simulate the problems on slopes.
5. Assign students to read the first chapter of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
This chapter of the classic novel describes the conditions of Dust Bowl Oklahoma
that ruined crops, causing massive numbers of foreclosures on farmland.
6. Contemporary agriculture occupies a large area of the Prairies that was formerly
Tallgrass Prairie. Innovations in agriculture are re-examining the capacity of this
landscape to produce biomass efficiently. Some cattle producers are removing cattle
from large feedlots and returning them to permanent pastures composed of local
native prairie grasses and wildflowers. Native prairie vegetation also has a
tremendous potential to store carbon in its root system. When compared to non-native,
cool-season European grasses commonly planted for hay and pastures, prairie species
are able to absorb and hold much more rainwater and, because of the root system,
more carbon. To prove this to students, secure seeds of common, cool season lawn
grass such as perennial rye and native prairie species such as Big Bluestem, Little
Bluestem, and Side Oats Grama. Have students plant several seeds in clay or peat
pots, place them on a windowsill, and watch the events unfold. When several inches
of growth has accumulated, gently pull the plants near the base and observe the root
system. Depending on the time of year, the prairie grasses will exhibit robust root
growth and might even be pot-bound. Prairies produce two-thirds of their biomass
underground, making them excellent carbon sinks.
7. Use signalling for concept understanding. There are several sets of concepts in this
chapter—soil horizons, types of erosion, and erosion reduction methods, for instance.
A good way to check for understanding is signalling. With the types of erosion, for
instance, give students the following keys:
• Wind erosion: Hold one hand with fingers extended, palm perpendicular to the
desk. The fingers look like a flag blowing in the wind.
• Splash erosion: Hold one hand with palm parallel to and facing the desk, fingers
spread wide apart and angling down toward the desk.
• Sheet erosion: Hold hand with palm parallel to and facing the desk, fingers
straight out and close together.
• Rill erosion: Make a small fist.
• Gully erosion: Hold hand with palm facing up as if cupping a softball or making
the shape of a gully.
Now show students a photo or ask them to decide on the type of erosion that
Discussion Questions
1. What are some of the difference between soil in North America and Sub-Saharan
Africa?
Wind, water
Figure 7.18
Essay Questions
1. What are the five factors that influence soil formation?
Soil colour: the soil can indicate its composition and sometimes its fertility.
Black and dark soils are usually rich in organic matter whereas pale grey
to white colour often indicates a chalky composition, leaching, or low
organic content.
Texture: Determined by the size of particles and is the basis on which soils
are assigned to one of the three general categories. Examples include clay
and loam.
pH: The degree of acidity or alkalinity of a soil influences the soil’s ability
to support plant growth. Plants can die in soils which are too acidic or
alkaline.
Additional Resources
Websites
1. About the Dust Bowl, Modern American Poetry
(www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/dustbowl.htm)
This website provides a brief description of the Dust Bowl, plus a map, photos, and a
timeline.
2. Soil Science Basics, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
(http://soils.gsfc.nasa.gov/basics.htm)
This website provides information about soil formation, chemistry, microbiology,
and field characterization.
Audiovisual Materials
1. The American Experience: Surviving the Dust Bowl, 1998, PBS Home Video
distributed by WGBH (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/dustbowl/)
This program looks at America’s “worst ecological disaster,” which brought financial
and emotional ruin to thousands of people in the Great Plains.
2. On American Soil, 1983, the Conservation Foundation, video distributed by Bullfrog
Films (www.bullfrogfilms.com/)
This video shows the nature and extent of erosion in America.
3. The Living Soil: The Value of Humus, 1991, distributed by Films for the Humanities
and Sciences (www.films.com)
This program is part of a series, Planet Under Pressure: Geochemistry and the Fate
of the Earth. This film examines how nutrients in the soil are replenished through
interactions between organisms and abiotic factors in the environment.
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