Which factors affect the soil profile?
Answers
Factors Affecting Soil Development. Soil research has shown that soil profiles are influenced by five separate, yet interacting, factors: parent material, climate, topography, organisms, and time. Soil scientists call these the factors of soil formation.
There are generally five factors that contribute to soil formation:
1. Parent material: This refers to the organic material from which the soil is formed. Soils will carry the characteristics of the parent material, whether it’s color, structure, texture, and so on. 2. Organisms: The richness of organic matter depends on the living things that live on and in the soils. For instance, microorganisms help with mineral and nutrient cycling and chemical reactions. Bacteria, earthworms, fungi, and burrowing animals aid with soil aeration. Worms decompose organic matter as dead animals contribute to more decaying organic matter. Plant roots hold soils and provide vegetative residue.
3. Climate: Temperature and precipitation determine how quickly the soil weathers and soil properties such as mineral composition and organic matter content. Temperature directly influences the speed of chemical reactions. The warmer the temperature, the faster reactions occur. Moisture determines the chemical reactions that will occur. Greater soil moisture increases moves minerals deeper into the soil profile.
4 . Topography: Slope and aspect affect soil formation. The steepness of the slope affects the amount of deposition or erosion. Slopes may be exposed to more direct sunlight, drying out soil moisture and reducing fertility.
5.Time: Soils take many years to form. The age of a soil is determined by development, not chronological age. With time, organic matter settles deeper below the surface. Eventually they may change from one soil type to another.