Lecture 5

Terrestrial Environment

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The Terrestrial Environment

Outline:
Life on land
Light and vegetation
Soils
formation
horizons
moisture holding
capacity
ion exchange

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 is a hostile environment
Living cells 75-95% water; must remain
hydrated to survive
Water availability fluctuates with
precipitation patterns
Constraints:
1. Desiccation
Terrestrial organisms have adaptations that
reduce water loss, and/or replace lost water

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 2. Structural support

Trees invest > 80% of their mass in supportive woody tissues

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Animals: skeletons Prof Dr Saberi Othman 4
Terrestrial envt - constraints

3. Temperature variations on land >> those in

the water

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 Physical conditions
1. Light availability

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 Leaf area index

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 Orientation of leaves

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 Daily distribution of light

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 Seasonal distribution of light

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 Soil
1. Formation
Begins with weathering of rocks
Types of weathering:
i. Mechanical --> breakup
Freezing / thawing
Erosion
Roots
ii. Chemical
Oxidation
Acids
Rainwater acts as medium for reactions
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 Factors affecting soil formation
I. Parent material
Bedrock, glacial till, eolian (wind-deposited),
fluvial (water-deposited)
II. Biotic factors
Roots
Increase mechanical weathering
Reduce erosion
Reduce leaching
Increase organic material (affects pH)

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Factors affecting soil formation

III. Climate
Direct effects: temperature, winds, pptn
Leaching = movement of solutes
Indirect effects: via plant growth
IV. Topography
Steep slope --> increased erosion, soil creep
V. Time
From bedrock to soil: ~ 2,000-20,000 yrs

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 2. Soil types
Colour reflects chemical composition
Black: high organic matter
Yellow-brown or red: Fe oxides
Dark purple: Mn oxides
White / gray: CaCO3, MgCO3, quartz, gypsum

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Soil types

Texture reflects particle size

Components of soil:
Sand: 0.05 - 2.0 mm
Silt: 0.002 - 0.05 mm
Clay: < 0.002 mm

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Texture = %, by weight,
of sand, silt and clay

Size: 0.002 - 0.05 mm

Size: < 0.002 mm

Size: 0.05 - 2.0 mm

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 Soil texture
Affects pore space --> air, water movement
Coarse texture (high sand, low clay):
Large pores
Rapid water infiltration, drainage
Fine texture (low sand, high clay):
Small pores
Poor aeration
High surface area
High compactability

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 Soil layers (horizons)

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 Moisture retention
When all the pore spaces between soil particles are
completely filled with water, the soil is at field
capacity
Clay soil:
small pores --> slow drainage
Total pore space actually > than sandy soil! (higher field
capacity)
Capillary water = water held by capillary action
Difficulty of extraction increases as moisture content
decreases
wilting point: no further extraction

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 Available water capacity (AWC) = field
capacity - wilting point
Pure sand: 30-40%
of volume = pores
Pure clay: up to
60% of volume =
pores
Higher field
capacity and higher
wilting point
AWC highest in soils
of intermediate
texture (loams)

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 Ion exchange capacity

Ion exchange capacity = total # of charged sites on soil particles

within a volume of soil
Al3+ > H+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ = NH4+ > Na+

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