Each soil is unique. Think about desert soil supporting cactus, wetlands soil supporting cattails or tundra soil supporting lichens. The uniqueness is an attribute of the climatic environment in which each soil was formed and currently exist. Climate influences weathering and it is one of the five factors working together with organisms, relief (topography), parent material, over a long period of time to develop a soil – factors referred to CLORPT.
Soil types are related to biomes because soil is one of the abiotic (non-living) factors defining and supporting a specific biome. A biome is a large geographic region with distinct plant and animal communities. Examples of major terrestrial biomes include forests, desserts, tundra, grassland, shrublands and wetlands. As such, each biome has a unique soil that is developed under the prevailing environmental conditions in the biome. Soil types have varying soil characteristics not only because of climate but also due to elevation, location on the landscape, geographic latitude, and geology.
Those soil characteristics include structure, color, texture, consistence, bulk density, porosity, permeability and organic matter accumulation. Another feature that is noticeably different among soil types is the soil horizon. Soil horizon are wavy horizontal layers of soil with identifying features that tell soil scientists how mature a soil is. Together, soil characteristics and horizon are very important tools in soil classification.
Soil types are informal soil classification based on geographical groupings. Formal soil classification (and soil taxonomy) is more rigorous and employs field investigations and laboratory analysis to identify soils. They are then assigned in a detailed hierarchy that looks like a pyramid, from broad soil orders at the top to individual soils referred to as soil series at the bottom. Each soil type should be appreciated for its uniqueness, the plant life it supports, animals that call it home, and for its place in the global ecosystem.
TROPICAL SOILS
(Savanna and Forest)
TEMPERATE/BOREAL
FOREST SOILS
