Soil and Natural Vegetation

CGC1DFri, Feb 28, 2014

Soil Soil is a naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose

material on the surface of the earth, capable of supporting life

Soil is made up of four components (MOMA): Minerals- come from a parent material (rock), provides

nutrients to plants Organic Material/ Bacteria- decaying materials release

nutrients Moisture- dissolves nutrients, decays organic materials Air- roots need air pockets. Created by worms, insects,

and small animals that burrow in the soil

Copy the

Rich in organic materialsDark brown/ black

Mineral and organic laterlighter brown

Where soil is “made”

Soil Profile

Plants need moisture and heat in order to survive

Natural vegetation refers to those plants that grow without any human interference.

There are 3 main types of natural vegetation in Canada: tundra, forest, and grassland.

Canada is divided into 7 natural vegetation regions:

Natural Vegetation

Alberta

Nunavut

Manitoba Quebec

Ontario

Northwest Territories

Canada

YukonTerritory

Tundra

Boreal Forest

Grassland

Parkland

West Coast Forest

Broad-leaved Forest

Mixed Forest

Cordilleran Vegetation

Vegetation Regions

N

Deciduous Forest

Far North- above the treeline

shrubs, mosses, lichens, small flowers

Cold, short growing season

Very little precipitation (<400 mm)

Thin soils, permafrost.

Tundra

to the south of the Tundra Mostly Coniferous (needle-bearing) trees Longer growing season than Tundra More precipitation than Tundra Grey, shallow, acidic soil.

Boreal and Taiga Forest

Transition zone between Boreal and Deciduous forests

Both deciduous and coniferous trees Active lumber industry Warm summers, cool winters Regular, abundant precipitation Deep, grey-brown topsoil, rich in

minerals Well suited to farming Disappearing in the southern

region due to farming, transportation routes, and urbanization.

Mixed Forest

A very small region in Canada Found in SW Ontario Has mostly been cleared for farming and

urban development Long, hot summers, mild winters, lots of rain Hardwood trees: maple, beech, ash Dark brown topsoil rich in minerals, most

fertile soils in Eastern Canada.

Deciduous Forest

climate is too dry for most species of trees to survive

Some trees along river valleys Native grasses everywhere Short-grass prairie: driest areas to the south,

unsuitable for most crops. Used for grazing cattle.

Long-grass prairie: increased precipitation, rich black soil

Parkland: transition zone between prairie and boreal forest.

Grasslands

Short Grass PrairieLong Grass Prairie

Parkland

This region has a wide range of soils, temperatures, rainfall, and elevations

Varies from large coniferous forests in wetter locations to grasses and cacti in drier regions.

Cordilleran Vegetation

Lush rainforests Douglas fir, Sitka spruce,

red cedar Heavy rainfall Mild climate.

West Coast Forest

Ecozones An ecozone is an area of the earth’s surface

that has a unique combination of plants, wildlife, climate, landforms, and human activities.

If you were to overlay or combine the climate, landforms, soil (and vegetation) regions of Canada, you would see patterns emerge resulting in Canada’s 15 terrestrial (land) ecozones

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