Soil | Definition, Importance, Types, Erosion, Composition, & Facts ...
2024年11月8日 · This article covers the structure, composition, and classification of soils and how these factors affect soil’s role in the global ecosystem. In addition, the two most important phenomena that degrade soils, erosion and pollution, are discussed.
Soil - Formation, Composition, Structure | Britannica
2024年11月8日 · The evolution of soils and their properties is called soil formation, and pedologists have identified five fundamental soil formation processes that influence soil properties. These five “state factors” are parent material, topography, climate, organisms, and …
Deforestation - Soil Erosion, Biodiversity Loss, Climate Change ...
2024年10月26日 · Deforestation - Soil Erosion, Biodiversity Loss, Climate Change: Deforestation has important global consequences. Forests sequester carbon in the form of wood and other biomass as the trees grow, taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (see carbon cycle).
Environment | Conservation, Ecology & Sustainability | Britannica
2024年9月20日 · environment, the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival. The Earth’s environment is treated in a number of articles.
Tropical rainforest - Biodiversity, Climate, Ecosystem | Britannica
2024年10月26日 · Soil, human disturbance, and other factors also can be important controlling influences. The climate is always hot and wet in most parts of the equatorial belt, but in regions to its north and south seasonal rainfall is experienced.
Soil organism | Biology, Ecology & Adaptation | Britannica
Soil organisms, which range in size from microscopic cells that digest decaying organic material to small mammals that live primarily on other soil organisms, play an important role in maintaining fertility, structure, drainage, and aeration of soil.
Ecosystem | Definition, Components, Examples, Structure, & Facts ...
2024年10月21日 · Ecosystem, the complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all their interrelationships in a particular unit of space. An ecosystem can be categorized into its abiotic constituents, including minerals, climate, soil, water, and sunlight, and its biotic constituents, consisting of all living members.
Savanna - Grassland, Climate, Animals | Britannica
2024年10月30日 · Soil factors are particularly important in large areas of relatively moist savanna in South America and Africa. Where soils are poor and, especially, in areas prone to waterlogging in the rainy season because of flatness of the ground or a hardpan close to the surface that roots cannot penetrate, tree growth is not vigorous enough for a closed ...
Soil - Pollution, Contamination, Fertility | Britannica
2024年11月8日 · Soil - Pollution, Contamination, Fertility: The presence of substances in soil that are not naturally produced by biological species is of great public concern. Many of these so-called xenobiotic (from Greek xenos, “stranger,” and bios, “life”) chemicals have been found to be carcinogens or may accumulate in the environment with toxic ...
Fertilizer | Definition, Types, Plant Nutrients, Application, & Facts ...
2024年10月25日 · fertilizer, natural or artificial substance containing the chemical elements that improve growth and productiveness of plants. Fertilizers enhance the natural fertility of the soil or replace chemical elements taken from the soil by previous crops.