human activities , soil fertility

human activities , soil fertility

1. compaction

   • compactn is the opposite of aeration, of the soil is too compact then there is no room for the plants and organisms to grow and live and there is also no oxygen, compaction means the soil will be very hard and tough to break which is bad for all organisms, the main cause of compactor is overuse of the soil in the terms that animals tractors and such are walking or driving over the soil regularly pushing the soil further and further down compacting it even more and more each time.

2. Aeration

   • most living organisms that live in soil are aeriobic which means they need air to survive, that air is also required for many processs within the soil, thiss means that it is crucial to have a good air flow, aeration can be done by almost fluffing up the soil, just by breaking it up from being so compact and hard will make a real difference, you can aerate the soil to much aswll though, this is done through over plowing, this means that the soil is no longer going to keep its shape because its been broken up to much and now can't provide a safe home for the organisms to live.
   • humans cause oration through plowing and other forms of harvesting, to much though and its bad for the soil

3. what makes fertile soil

   • fertile sol is made up of dead organicmatter, loads of macro and micro nutrients in order to give it the correct nutrients to function and for plants to grow.

4. Nutrients

   • soils get nutrients a number of different ways, a good sign that soil is fertile is if they have a high dead organic matter, macronutrients and micronutrients. some of the macronutrients soil needs to be fertile are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, these are mainly found in their ionic form as nitrates, phosphates and potassium ions. some f the micronutrients that the soil needs to be fertile are boron, cobalt, copper, iron,mangneses and magnesium. in spilt the toxic ions such as aluminium and heavy metals are absorbed onto the surface f the mineral particles usually clay so they can't dissolve in the water .
   • humans can add to soils and make them fertile by using fertilisers, these give them all the right nutrients to function and be fertile.

5. irrigation

   • irrigation can effect soil fertility in a positive way, the water content in t=the soil needs to be at a decent amount at all times, this is achieved through a number of different methods, the soil needs to have good drainage systems so that it doesn't get waterlogged but can still retain enough water so plants can survive, there are three types of water in soil, one is the capillary water, this water is held by soil so it doesn't drain from the soil but can be absorbed by plants. one of the other types of water is gravitational water, this water can be absorbed by plants but also drains really easily, the last water type in soil is the hygrospheric water, this water sits on the mineral particles of the water and is held there by adhesive forces because water likes to stir together, these cannot be absorbed by plants,
   • the human activity that causes irrigation is wateringg plants, however you need to be carful becuause you can over water the soil and then the soil will be displaced, this means you properly should water your plants before and after it rains,

6. ph

   • most soils fall between 5.5 and 7 on the ph scale, this means that the soil is slightly acidic but it is still within the window for the plants to grow and most organisms to live. the reason the soil needs to be in the 5.5 7 window is because f it is to acidic the plants root membranes can be damaged meaning it won't get water and die and if it is too alkaline then the phosphate become insoluble