5.1 SoilIB Environmental Systems and Societies SL: Flashcards
Card 1 of 140 of 14 known
Question
What is soil, in systems terms?
Tap or press Space to reveal
Tap card or press Space to flip
See all 14 cards
- What is soil, in systems terms?
- A dynamic system within the larger ecosystem, with its own inputs, outputs, storages and flows.
- Name the components of soil.
- Inorganic and organic components, water and air.
- What is a soil profile?
- The stable, layered structure of a soil made of several horizons, formed over long periods.
- Give two inputs to the soil system.
- Dead organic matter and inorganic minerals.
- Give three outputs from the soil system.
- Loss of dead organic matter by decomposition, loss of minerals, and loss of energy as heat.
- Distinguish transfers and transformations in soil.
- Transfers move matter across horizons or in and out; transformations change the components or the whole soil system.
- What do systems flow diagrams of soil show?
- Flows into, out of and within the soil ecosystem.
- Which essential nutrient do plants not obtain from soil?
- Carbon, which they obtain from the atmosphere.
- How does soil contribute to biodiversity?
- By providing a habitat and niches for many species.
- What role does soil play in biogeochemical cycles?
- It helps to recycle elements.
- What determines soil texture?
- The relative proportions of sand, silt, clay and humus.
- How does texture affect primary productivity?
- Sand, silt, clay and humus influence water, air and nutrient availability differently.
- When is soil a carbon sink?
- When input of dead organic matter exceeds decomposition.
- When is soil a carbon source?
- When decomposition exceeds the input of dead organic matter.
Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).