Name: _____________________________________
Study Guide: Soil Biomes, and Land-Use
1. Define the following terms (page 76-77):
Parent material—original bed rock
Residual Soil—completely undisturbed, over parent material
Transported Soil—soil that has moved away from parent material by H20,
wind, human disruption
Leaching—the downward movement of nutrient in soil due to H20
Humus—organic matter, the decomposition of plants and animals
Soil—organic matter combined with pulverized rock
Erosion—wearing away of soil by water or wind
2. Name the soil layers in order (use the Acronym) and what grows or lives in
each layers:
Old—surface litter
Animals—topsoil: partially decomposed organic material, worms, moles
small rocks and roots
Eat—zone of leaching (see definition above)
Barley—subsoil: relatively infertile, clay, large rocks
Corn—rock particles: big roots, larger rocks
Rice—Bedrock: unweathered rock
3. There are two types of weathering and an example of each (look on p. 76
again):
(1) Chemical: hydrolysis (reaction with water) or oxidation (reaction with
oxygen)
Example: Acid Rain; rust
(2) Physical: water or wind
Examples: root or frost wedging, pot holes
4. On page 77, there are 5 soils types listed. Describe each one:
(1) Tropical Soil-----found in a rainforest, hot, humid, moist
Largest Soil profile: more than 10 feet
(2) Grassland Soil---found in the Mid-West, grasses and grains, NOT trees
Soil profile: 1 m or 3 feet
(3) Forest Soil—Northeast and Mid-Atlantic (our region) hardwood trees
(oak and maple) & softwood (pines) with seasons
Soil profile: 1 m or 3 feet
(4) Desert Soil—SW (TX, NV, UT, CO, AZ) hot dry
Soil profile: mm (very thin)
(5) Arctic Soil—AK always partially frozen
Soil profile: cm
5. Define the following terms:
Urbanization--at least 5,000 per square mile
Salinization—soil that is not fertile because of its salt content
Desertification—soil that becomes like a desert
Overgrazing—too many animals eat/graze in an area for too long
damaging the grass beyond repair or recovery.
Arable—fertile soil, usable for agriculture
6. What percentage of Americans live in urban areas? 80%
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7. What percentage of land in the U.S. is considered urban? 2%
8. (Look on p. 84) What is the purpose of the Public Rangelands Improvement
Act of 1978?
Manage range/grasslands to preserve the ecosystem. 1) eliminate weeds
2) fence out cows from sensitive areas (saving habitat) 3) create smaller
watering holes.
9. What was the first U.S. National Park? Yellowstone
10.Draw a picture and label the different freshwater zones (look at page 106).
11.Draw a picture and label the different marine zones (look at page 107).
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12.Know the bottom and top temperatures for each environment:
Freshwater & Marine
Freshwater: Bottom—39 degrees
Top--- 72 degrees
Marine:
Top—72 and higher
Bottom—37 degrees
13.The three animals you learned about in the internet activity on Biomes
were:
(1)Nutria
Where is it from? Invasive South American rodent
(2)Shrew
Where is it from? Lives in the prairie, very aggressive live in any kind
of habitat—related to moles.
(3)Zorilla
Where is it from? Skunk-like mammal from Africa savannahs.
15. What causes famine (page 110)? 1) drought 2) wars 3) poor governance
16. Describe the ‘green revolution’. (In your description, answer these questions:
1) is the green revolution sustainable? 2) Is the green revolution good for
animals? 3) Is the green revolution good for the soil? 4) Is the green revolution
good for water?)
Green revolution revolved around the industrialization of farming. Larger
machines, mono-cropping, the use of inorganic (synthetic) fertilizers, pesticides,
herbicides, and increased irrigation all combine to create a culture of industrial
farming—growing food. Small family farms are being run out because they can
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not compete. No, the green revolution is not sustainable, and is currently
showing decline leaving our world population in potential food insecurity. The
soil, and water are generally harmed by overuse in this scenario.
17. Name 3 things that describe sustainable and unsustainable farming practices:
Sustainable:
(1) proper use of the land for growing and grazing. The right number of
animals per acre, and crop rotation.
(2) no pesticides or herbicides or inorganic fertilizer
(3) organic fertilizer, being content with crop growth and ‘ugly’ fruit and
produce.
Unsustainable:
(1) pesticides or herbicides or inorganic fertilizer
(2) inefficient irrigation
(3) use of heavy equipment (larger fields) and fuel for long distance
transportation
Biome Review Guide:
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Desert - The driest biome with less than 25 cm of precipitation annually and
very little plant or animal life.
Grassland - A biome composed of large communities of grasses and other
small plants. It gets between 25-75 cm of precipitation annually.
Taiga - This biome has forests of evergreens; pine, fir, hemlock and spruce.
Soils are acidic and poor in minerals. It gets between 50 and 100 cm of
precipitation annually.
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Temperate Forest - This biome is composed of forests of broad-leaved
hardwood trees that loose their leaves every year. It receives between 70-150
cm of precipitation annually.
Tropical Forest - The tropical biome found nearest to the equator with
warm temperatures and the most plant growth of any biome. It receives over
200 cm of rain annually.
Tundra - The coldest land biome is found near Earth's north and south
poles. It has no trees but has low, slow growing vegetation with permafrost
below the topsoil. The tundra usually receives less than 25 cm of
precipitation annually. Tundra in ‘Finnish’ (the language of Finland) means
‘barren land’.
How would you describe the following biomes like a climograph?
(use yearly temperature ranges, and precipitation)
Biomes
Temperate Grassland (Prairie)
Rainforest
Taiga
Desert
Savannah
Temperate/Deciduous Forest
Tundra
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Temperature range
(has seasons)
70 and 85° F
-60 to 70 F
2-hot/wet
No seasons
4 seasons
2 seasons
Precipitation
Between a forest & a desert
Over 200 cm
50-100 cm
Less than 25 cm
25-75 cm
70-150 cm
Less than 25 cm
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