What is Soil?
Different soil types determine what types of plants will grow in a certain area. Plants use elements from the soil, such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, but the community of fungi, bacteria, and other microscopic creatures living within the soil are also vital. The living organisms help decompose dead plants and animals, breaking them down into the soil.
Soil is affected by climate and rainfall, geology and vegetation. Sand, silt, gravel, and clay gives different soils different textures. Healthy soils which contain a mixture of sand, silt, and clay are called "loam" soils. Different types of minerals give soils their colors.
In deciduous forests, soil is usually very fertile. This is because every fall, the trees shed the leaves that they grew during the spring. The organic materials contributes to the "litter layer" on the soil. The fallen leaves are a good food source for the fungi and bacteria that are in the soil. Fungi and bacteria slowly help the leaves to decompose, and they eventually turn back into a soil in which the trees can use to grow new leaves throughout the new seasons. The leaves at the top of the "litter layer" is newly fallen. Towards the bottom, the older leaves are torn and usually covered with a slimy coating of microorganisms which feels a bit gross, but it is vital to the process of the returning nutrients to the soil.
Soil is affected by climate and rainfall, geology and vegetation. Sand, silt, gravel, and clay gives different soils different textures. Healthy soils which contain a mixture of sand, silt, and clay are called "loam" soils. Different types of minerals give soils their colors.
In deciduous forests, soil is usually very fertile. This is because every fall, the trees shed the leaves that they grew during the spring. The organic materials contributes to the "litter layer" on the soil. The fallen leaves are a good food source for the fungi and bacteria that are in the soil. Fungi and bacteria slowly help the leaves to decompose, and they eventually turn back into a soil in which the trees can use to grow new leaves throughout the new seasons. The leaves at the top of the "litter layer" is newly fallen. Towards the bottom, the older leaves are torn and usually covered with a slimy coating of microorganisms which feels a bit gross, but it is vital to the process of the returning nutrients to the soil.