Terrestrial Ecosystems 1

Analyze the importance of soil as an integral component of terrestrial ecosystems.

## Indicators

**a. Discuss how First Nations and Métis people value soil as an integral component of Mother Earth, including traditional ways of looking after soil.** https://www.afn.ca/honoring-earth/

this website describes how the first nations always take care of the and how they appreciate the gift of air, land and water from mother earth. This website also describes that contaminants don’t just affect the first nations but also affects all people of first nations. ZB

**b. Recognize how the breakdown of parent material through various processes (e.g., weathering, erosion, deposition and decomposition of organisms) results in soil with varying properties (e.g., colour, texture, structure and pH).**

https://slideplayer.com/slide/14387528/- This website is a PowerPoint that answers the indicator directly. There is more than one indicator answered in this PowerPoint. The answers to this indicator are provided in slides 6, 8, 10, and 12. Within these 4 slides, you are provided with information about what soil is, the depths and their characteristics, how soil is formed, and the properties of soil that occur because of these processes. I chose this link because it provides you with the specific information of the indicator. The website provides you with all the information needed and it provides you with multiple pictures that support the information in the slides. It is relatively easy to follow and the transcript is also provided at the bottom of the page and is labeled with the number of the slide. -TC

**c. Understand the interconnectedness between soil characteristics, ecozones and natural vegetation in Saskatchewan.**

https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/the-power-of-knowing-your-soil/- this website helps you understand the meaning of your soil and why it is so important, it helps you understand the quality that you need to have a good field to harvest.- WDP

**d. Experiment with different soil mixtures, using black earth, compost, sand, top soil, manure, peat moss, vermiculite, loam and/or sand to determine their suitability for growing different plant species.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AcSQe8QxMk - In this video, the person has a few types of soil ranging from local soil to sand to gravel. They are experimenting of these different types of soil affect growth rate of a plant. - DG

**e. Explain common methods scientists use to sample and monitor soil quality over time**.

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-368-w.pdf- The included link explains how soil samples are collected, it also explains how to pick which soil to sample and how often you should do it.-EB

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038071718300294#sec3 This website talks about soil assessments and the developments in soil assessments throughout time. There are national programs designed to assess and monitor soil quality. It tells us about soil threats such as erosion, compaction, organic matter loss, salinization, and acidification. It discusses multiple programs in different countries used to assess soil and monitor it, based off important indicators regarding soil health. There are also programs used to assess soil that focus directly on soil biodiversity, rather than just the overall quality of the soil. There is soil health score cards that scientists developed that allow them to collect farmers' observations on soil and plants. The fastest method is digging up soil with a spade to test the quality of it. - KTMP

**f. Collect and analyze soil data (e.g., pH, nitrate, phosphate, potassium, porosity and moisture) using technologies such as sensors and soil test kits.**

https://ag.umass.edu/greenhouse-floriculture/greenhouse-best-management-practices-bmp-manual/soil-testing - This site explains how to do an experiment to analyze soil. It shows how to find the ammoia, calcium, iron data and more. There are diffrent method such as the leachate pour thru or dillution method. It throughouly go through on how to do it and the reasons of your findings. - RL

**g. Research causes and consequences of soil degradation (e.g., wind and water erosion, salinity and desertification) and mitigation strategies (e.g., conservation tillage, contour farming, grassed waterways and shelterbelts) used to reduce the loss of topsoil.**

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/12-053.htm - This site shows a good understanding of how different forms of soil erosion affects the severity of the soil degradation in the area. It goes into depth about water erosion, wind erosion, tillage erosion, and how we can prevent the negative consequences. The information on this site is well organized and is not overly generalized. Overall, this site provides sufficient amount of information about the topic of soil degradation. SR

**h. Recognize the role and diversity of organisms (e.g., nitrogen fixing bacteria, fungi, mycorrhizae, insects, plants and protists) found within soil environments.**

http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0100e/a0100e0d.htm - This website I have attached above outlines why diversity is important in ecosystem. It also outlines all the different roles within the ecosystem and organism that occupy those roles. This website is very long but very informational. It is divided into general classification or organism (e.g. fungi, termites, bacteria, mesofauna, etc.). This website also provides picture that help you understand what is being described. AG

**i. Discuss the role of soil in biogeochemical cycling, including carbon storage and nitrogen fixation, nitrification and denitrification.**

https://soil.copernicus.org/articles/1/665/2015/#:~:text=Article%20(2073%20KB)-,Soils%20play%20a%20pivotal%20role%20in%20major%20global%20biogeochemical%20cycles,service%20can%20affect%20other%20services. This page describes the role of soil in the biogeochemical cycling. Soils deliver fundamental ecosystem services, and management to change a soil process in support of one ecosystem service can affect other services. It explains that even though we know a lot about biochemical cycling, there are still some gaps in the understanding of soil role in it. There for scientists need to do some more research on relatiotion betwen soil layers. - AZ

**j. Examine how phenomena such as erosion, desertification and soil pollution, whether natural or human-caused, affect soil productivity and food production.**

https://contaminatedsoil.net/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx5HBtZDw8wIVbGpvBB1GnA68EAAYASAAEgK84PD\_BwE- this site show some soil samples and explains the pesticides that are in it and what it can do to you crops and the soil around you it also explains the issues of erosion and what you can do ahead of time so it wont happen- WDP

**k. Investigate how various small- and large-scale composting systems such as composting toilets, trench composting, vermicomposting, windrow composting, anaerobic digestion and mechanical biological treatment work to maintain and improve soil quality.**

https://untamedscience.com/biology/ecology/ecology-articles/the-science-of-compost/

This website has information about composting and what it does to the soil. There are videos showing some examples. JK

**l. Collaborate with a group of peers to propose a landscaping investigation or action plan concerning an aspect of an urban ecosystem (e.g., rooftop gardens, green walls and green spaces) while ensuring conditions affecting local soil are represented.**