Soil
1. Soil Components
• Soil Water
• Soil Air
• Rock Particles
• Humus
• Mineral Salts
• Lime
2. Different types of soil
• Sandy soil
• Clay soil
3. Soil organisms
4. Soil erosion
1
Soil is an important ecosystem as it is a thin layer on the surface of some parts of the earth that can
support life. Soil is made up of minerals, organic matter and living organisms that live in the soil. For
soil to be an environment where organisms can live, there also must be water, oxygen and carbon
dioxide.
1. Soil components
Soil water
There is an important link between soil and water. The water in the soil is taken up by plants and
animals for their needs and transports nutrients and other important substances from the soil to plants.
It is also essential for germination to begin. However, too much water can result waterlogged soil.
Waterlogged soil deprives the roots and organisms living in soil of air. A lot of water also washes away
important minerals from the soil. This is why too much rainfall in one go is not helpful in farming. Soil
particles are normally surrounded by a thin film of water and plant roots usually take up the water
they need from there.
Soil air
In soil there are plenty of spaces between the soil particles
which are filled with air. Oxygen is needed for respiration by
plant roots and seeds, as well as other organisms. It is also
important in decay of material since most microbes are
aerobic. However, if soil particles are too closely packed or if
waterlogged, the oxygen will be low. This prevents organisms
from being able to live in it.
Rock particles
Soil is made up of rock particles of different sizes. They are classified according to
their size: clay (lightest), silt, sand and gravel (heaviest).
Rock particles make up the framework of soil but both clay and sand are
important as clay helps to hold water and helps to bind the soil together. But sand
also keeps it loose enough to hold air. A good mixture of the two is called loam
soil. Soil crumbs are particles which are stuck together in small clumps and they are
a sign of healthy soil as they help air get into the soil and drain water.
Humus
Humus is produced from decaying organisms. The topsoil (which is the top layer of soil) will contain
the most humus and most of it is leaf litter. Humus makes soil:
1. Rich in nutrients,
2. Helps keep more water
3. Prevents it from washing minerals away.
2
For humus to form, oxygen needs to be present. If there is not enough oxygen, peat will form.
Mineral salts
Mineral salts are dissolved in soil water and provide plants with important elements such as nitrogen
and phosphorus. Some mineral salts come from rocks which form soil. Others are from when humus
breaks down. Plants need these minerals to grow e.g. they need nitrogen to make proteins from
amino acids.
Lime
Lime is a substance which comes from limestone; this is the type of stone that is very common in the
Maltese islands. Lime contains calcium carbonate which helps plants grow properly and it also helps
soil to clump together. Lime is sometimes used to neutralize acidic soil.
2. Different kinds of soil
Sandy soil:
Sandy soil is very loose, light and easy to dig. It contains a lot of air and drains well but it dries up
quickly in hot weather and allows minerals,
nutrients and water to leach out in wet weather.
This makes it less fertile than clay soil.
Sandy soil can be improved by adding clay to it.
Clay soil:
Clay soil holds water and nutrients well but is very
heavy and hard to dig. Since clay particles are
sticky they are held together tightly and have little
air. Clay soil can be improved by adding sand to
it.
The ideal soil is loam soil.
3. Soil organisms
Soil is populated by a variety of living organisms - from tiny microbes such as bacteria
and fungi to smaller organisms such as centipedes and worms, to even larger animals
such as moles and rabbits.
3
Many of these organisms have very important functions e.g. certain
bacteria and fungi. They have a saprophytic mode of life which
helps them break down resistant organic matter such as lignin.
Others perform a similar process on minerals, thereby releasing
nutrients for the plant.
Bacteria are responsible for much of the decomposition of organic
material in soils. They are usually present in top soils and play an
important role in converting nitrogen to nitrates. This
is important because plants cannot take up
nitrogen gas but only soluble nitrates which are vital
for the formation of amino acids and proteins.
Earthworms are another very important species that
help improve soil fertility. They help in the
decomposition of organic matter in the soil. They
also play a role in the aeration of soil through their
constant burrowing, which also helps prevent the
soil from clogging up. Worms produce nitrogenous
waste which fertilizes the soil, and they pull down
dead leaves from the top soil into the lower burrows
where it can decay and fertilize the lower layers of
soil.
There are some organisms like insect larvae which eat plant roots and cause damage. Millipedes
and some round worms are also harmful in large numbers because they damage roots.
4. Soil erosion
Soil is a main ecosystem on Earth. However, it is continuously being lost by erosion. There are several
causes of erosion, the most common being water or wind movements. As the material is removed, it
is carried to other locations and is deposited as silt. This is called sedimentation, and most of the silt
created by erosion ends up in sediment layers, like the layers of rock which make up the Maltese
islands.
Erosion is a naturally occurring process, but is increased by human activities. Some of these activities
include deforestation which results in soil degradation. Soil erosion can be reduced by planting trees
and plants as their roots anchor the soil into the ground well, or by building and maintaining rubble
walls (ħajt tas-sejjieħ) to reduce soil being blown away (to be done in greater detail in Management
of Resources).
4
Checklist: Soil
1. Can I name the six components of soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Do I know what happens if too much water is present in soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Do I know why air is needed in soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Do I know the four types of rock particles that are found in soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Can I name two reasons why humus is important to soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. Do I know why lime is important for soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. Can I name two types of soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. Can I name two advantages of sandy soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
9. Can I name one disadvantage of sandy soil? _____________________________________
10. Can I name one advantage of clay soil? _________________________________________
11. Can I name two disadvantages of clay soil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
12. Do I know the name of the ideal type of soil? _____________________________________
13. Can I name two organisms that are beneficial to soil? ____________________________
14. Can I name one organism that has a negative effect on soil? _____________________
15. Do I know how deforestation links to soil erosion?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________