Teacher Guide and Key, Activity 2: Biomes and Soil Fertility
General Instructions:
Students will need access to the Internet (broadband/fast
preferred). The preferred Internet browser for the exercise is Internet Explorer (for the
internet mapping portion). Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to display and print out the
worksheet. Students are encouraged to print out the exercise worksheet and work from a
print version of the exercise.
Students should have basic Internet browser experience. Experience with the Internet
mapping browser is not necessary. Students should be able to quickly acquaint themselves
with how the different buttons and features are used. Should problems arise the Internet
mapping browser can be closed and then reopened by clicking the exercise links in the next
section. In addition, please note that you should DISABLE any POP-UP Blockers before
accessing the Internet mapping activities
Objectives: Identify areas of high and low soil fertility in the world and explain the
relationships between soil fertility and biomes
Time: 45- 55 minutes, if taught the day after Activity 1 so that students remembered the GIS
Internet Mapping procedures.
Introduction Suggestions: Ask students what they had for breakfast? What is that made
of? Where did it come from? Where was it grown? What did it need to grow? Bring in a soil
sample, pretend it is something to eat… explain the importance of soil….
Other Questions to Ask: Have a "good soils contest". Which geographic regions owon the
good soil prize?
Assessment: worksheet completion.
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Activity 2: Biomes and Soil Fertility.
Name:________________
Start Internet Explorer
, Netscape, or Mozilla Firefox (Internet
Explorer works best). In the address window type:
http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/index.htm and hit Enter. This will direct you
to the Learning about Soils, Biomes, and Climate page. This page has links to
the worksheets, internet mapping activities, and sources of information.
1. Soils
a. What is soil? (look in the Glossary section-- http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/glossary.htm )
The layer of mineral and organic matter, in thickness from centimeters to a meter or more, on
the land surface. Its main components are rock and mineral matter, organic matter, water,
and air.
b. List the 6 soil forming factors? (Also in Glossary section)
1. Parent material
4. topography
2. Climate
5. time
3. Organisms
6. Human activit
c. Describe the 5 factors explained at the linked website.
http://soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/soilform/parmat.htm
1. Parent material: The primary material from which the soil is formed. Soil parent
material could be bedrock, organic material, an old soil surface, or a deposit from water,
wind, glaciers, volcanoes, or material moving down a slope.
2. climate: Weathering forces such as heat, rain, ice, snow, wind, sunshine, and
other environmental forces, break down parent material and affect how fast or slow
soil formation processes go.
3. Organisms: All plants and animals living in or on the soil (including microorganisms and humans!). The amount of water and nutrients, plants need affects the way soil
forms. The way humans use soils affects soil formation. Also, animals living in the soil affect
decomposition of waste materials and how soil materials will be moved around in the soil
profile. On the soil surface remains of dead plants and animals are worked by
microorganisms and eventually become organic matter that is incorporated into the soil and
enriches the soil.
4. Topography: The location of a soil on a landscape can affect how the climatic
processes impact it. Soils at the bottom of a hill will get more water than soils on the slopes,
and soils on the slopes that directly face the sun will be drier than soils on slopes that do not.
Also, mineral accumulations, plant nutrients, type of vegetation, vegetation growth, erosion,
and water drainage are dependent on topographic relief.
5. Time: All of the above factors assert themselves over time, often hundreds or
thousands of years. Soil profiles continually change from weakly developed to well developed
over time.
d. What is leaching? (lGlossary section-- http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/glossary.htm )
Process whereby water percolates through soil taking with it key plant nutrients and
depositing these nutrients at a greater depth in the subsoil. Extreme leaching can result in
infertile soils, especially in wet and warm regions of the world.
e. In which "climate" might leaching be especially a problem?
(look in the climate page-- http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/climate.htm )
Best answer is Tropical Wet
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2. Now click on the Activity 2 link. Or in a new browser go to
http://geography.unco.edu/website/biome2/default.htm
Activity 2: Biomes and Soil Fertility
You should get a map similar to the one below:
Overview
Map
Layers
Toolbar
buttons
Refresh
Map
Map
Scale bar
As a reminder the different toolbar buttons perform the following functions:
Toggle Between Legend/Layers
Zoom In
Toggle Overview Map
Zoom Out
Zoom to Full Extent
Zoom to Active Layer
Back to Last Extent
Pan
Identify
Find
Set Units
Select by Line/Polygon
Query
Measure
Select by Rectangle
Clear Selection
Print
The map shows the different biomes. Remember to see the legend click on the
Toggle between legends/layers button. This should show you the legend for
the layers that are visible. Then Toggle back to the Layers list.
Make Visible (remember to Refresh map
) the Good Fertility layer.
The Good, Average, and Poor fertility layers were created from United Nations
data and represent a very generalized view of soil suitability for agriculture.
This doesn’t take into account water/precipitation availability—so some of these
areas may need irrigation to be productive.
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2. Soil Fertility – check the correct answers by using the Zoom - In tool for each
region. Place the arrow on the region in the overview map. Be sure Good
Fertility is Visible and Active.
a. The lower 48 states of the USA generally have:
___. Few areas of Good Fertility soils
_X__. A lot of areas covered by Good Fertility soils
b. Africa overall has:
_X_. Very few areas of Good Fertility soils
___. Over 1/2 of the area has Good Fertility soils.
c. Europe overall has:
___. Very few areas of Good Fertility soils
_X__. Over 1/2 of the area has Good Fertility soils.
d. South America overall has:
_X_. A few areas of Good Fertility soils
___. Over 1/2 of the area has Good Fertility soils.
3. This soil stuff is more complex than it looks, so let’s look at individual
regions. Use the
Zoom in tool to drag a box around Europe (thus zooming in
to Europe).
a. Using the Toggle between legends/layers button (and with the Good
Fertility layer still visible) which TWO BIOMES in Europe appear to have
soils that might be GOOD for agriculture:
__Temperate Forest_
__Mediterranean ___
b. Make Active the Average (mixed) Fertility and make Visible only the
Average (mixed) Fertility and Biome layers (turn the others off) and
Refresh Map. What TWO biomes in Northern Europe are dominated by
Average Fertility? (click on Legend ICON)
____Boreal_______
____Temperate Forest (Tundra also OK)
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4. Let’s look at Africa. Use the
(thus zooming in to Africa).
Zoom in tool to drag a box around Africa
a. Make Visible only the Poor Fertility and Biome layers (turn the others
off) and Refresh Map. A large amount of the poor fertility soils are found
in which TWO biomes in Africa?
__Savanna________
__Desert__________
b. Now-- How about TWO other biomes in Africa that have smaller, but
still significant areas of Poor Fertility soils?
__Grassland_______
__Rainforest_______
c. Hypothesize why tropical regions have poor soils.
Rainforest biomes--lots of rainfall, thus natural fertilizers are leached out of the soil.
Drier regions don't have enough rain, very hot, and do not have adequate organic
material in the soil.
5. There are always exceptions to the rules. Now Zoom In on the islands of
Southeast Asia. With Good Fertility Active, what ONE type of biome has
the most fertile soil? (Just so you know-- many of these soils are volcanic in
origin--this often makes good soil for farming!)
__Rainforest_____
6. Return to the world map and make the following layers visible: Biomes,
Good Soil Fertility, Important Latitude.
a. Describe the amount of good soil fertility in the tropics.
Overall, not very much good soil in the tropics
b. Hypothesize why this is the pattern.
With so much rain leaching removes natural fertilizers.
c. Look at the mid-latitudes (23 – 66 N & S) of the world. What
climate factors could lead to such good soil fertility in this region?
There is a seasonal change in temperature. Part of the year the soil could be
frozen, thus slowing down the leaching process. Good precipitation.
You’re done! You’ve learned that there is a significant (although not perfect) relationship
between biomes and soil fertility.
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