Introduction

soil covers a major portion of the earth's land surface. it is an important natural resource that either directly or indirectly supports much of the life on our planet.

many people do not realize the importance of soil, and seldom think about its conservation. however, soil and its conservation are essential to our lives. most people realize that they need clean air and water to stay healthy. not everyone realizes that their way of life also depends on the soil. soil is necessary the growth of most of our food. plants are rooted in soil and obtain needed nutrients there.

it acts as a filter, cleaning air and water. soil takes up organic matter and recycles nutrients back to plants. soil also holds and breaks down some toxic wastes. because soil plays such a key role in our lives, we must conserve it and use it in a sustainable manner.

soil is a mixture of mineral and organic materials plus air and water. the content of soil varies in different locations and is constantly changing. there are many different kinds and types of soils. different kinds of soils support the growth of different types of plants and also determine how well that plant life grows.

soil is formed slowly, but can be easily destroyed. because of this, soil conservation is important for continued support of life as we know it.

the task

you are a soil conservationist. you have been asked to speak at a local school about how soil is conserved and the importance of doing so. you are very knowledgeable in the subject, but you must write that speech so the middle school students understand what you are saying and realize the importance of soil conservation.

the process

• work by yourself

• research the importance of soil and why it should be conserved

• what is soil conservation 1? -

• what is soil conservation 2? -

• threats to soil -

• the dirt on dirt -

• why is soil so important? -

• research ways soil is lost

• the dirt on dirt - (scroll down halfway)

• how soil is lost -

• soil erosion and degradation -

• how desertification works -

• research different types of soil conservation.

• 10 ways to conserve soil -

• how to conserve soil -

• an introduction to soil conservation measures -

• how to prevent erosion -

• 9 inexpensive ways you can prevent erosion -

• write the speech

• paragraph 1 – the importance of soil & conservation

• paragraph 2 – how soil is lost

• paragraph 3 - how we can conserve soil

Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Earth's body of soil, called the pedosphere, has four important functions:

as a medium for plant growth

as a means of water storage, supply and purification

as a modifier of Earth's atmosphere

as a habitat for organisms

All of these functions, in their turn, modify the soil.

The pedosphere interfaces with the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere.[1] The term pedolith, used commonly to refer to the soil, translates to ground stone in the sense "fundamental stone".[2] Soil consists of a solid phase of minerals and organic matter (the soil matrix), as well as a porous phase that holds gases (the soil atmosphere) and water (the soil solution).[3][4][5] Accordingly, soil scientists can envisage soils as a three-state system of solids, liquids, and gases.[6]

Soil is a product of several factors: the influence of climate, relief (elevation, orientation, and slope of terrain), organisms, and the soil's parent materials (original minerals) interacting over time.[7] It continually undergoes development by way of numerous physical, chemical and biological processes, which include weathering with associated erosion. Given its complexity and strong internal connectedness, soil ecologists regard soil as an ecosystem.[8]

Most soils have a dry bulk density (density of soil taking into account voids when dry) between 1.1 and 1.6 g/cm3, while the soil particle density is much higher, in the range of 2.6 to 2.7 g/cm3.[9] Little of the soil of planet Earth is older than the Pleistocene and none is older than the Cenozoic,[10] although fossilized soils are preserved from as far back as the Archean.[11]

Soil science has two basic branches of study: edaphology and pedology. Edaphology studies the influence of soils on living things.[12] Pedology focuses on the formation, description (morphology), and classification of soils in their natural environment.[13] In engineering terms, soil is included in the broader concept of regolith, which also includes other loose material that lies above the bedrock, as can be found on the Moon and on other celestial objects as well.[14] Soil is also commonly referred to as earth or dirt; some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from soil by restricting the former term specifically to displaced soil.[15]

a motor homunculus represents a map of brain areas dedicated to motor processing for different anatomical divisions of the body.

homunculus represents the importance of various parts of your body as seen by your brain. as a result, they take up a lot of brain space. although the cortical homunculus is a curiosity, penfield's work in mapping the brain's relationship to the body was invaluable.