Name:
Plant and Land Science
Unit #2: Soils Study Guide
1. What is dirt?
2. What is soil?
3. What is the main difference between dirt and soil?
4. Explain the process of weathering.
5. What is organic matter (OM)?
6. How is soil created?
7. What is an ecosystem?
8. Name two ways soil contributes to an ecosystem.
1.
2.
9. Explain the process of weathering in the following conditions:
Freezing –
Heat –
Wind –
Plants and Animals –
Bacteria, Fungi, and Mold –
10. What are the five factors of soil formation?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
11. What is parent material?
12. How does time affect soil?
13. How does climate affect soil?
14. What does vegetation provide for soil?
15. What is topography?
16. Why is topography important when it comes to erosion?
17. What are the three physical properties of soil?
1.
2.
3.
18. What four substances is soil composed of?
1.
2.
3.
4.
19. What are the three textures of soil?
1.
2.
3.
20. How do we determine the soil’s texture?
21. What is water-holding capacity?
22. What is a soil profile?
23. What is a soil horizon?
24. What are the following in terms of a soil profile:
Addition –
Loss –
Translocation –
Transformation –
25. Describe each of the following soil horizons characteristics:
O
A
E
B
C
R
26. What is soil depth and why is it important?
27. How do we determine the soil’s color?
28. Describe the process of using the tool to determine the soil’s color.
29. What do the following tell us about the soil’s color:
Hue –
Chroma –
Value –