SciEd 7-Earth science

Soil Conservation
Earl John Lozano BSED-Science 2A October 21, 2020

After you read this section, you should be able to answer these questions:
• Why is soil important?
-Soil is important because soil is where all organisms rely on. Plants and trees
grows on a healthy soil and it is where animals get their food and it is where we
plant and grow our foods too like vegetables.
• How can farmers conserve soil?
-Farmers can Plow the soil properly to reduce the soil erosion and avoid using
chemicals that may destroy it.

1. Explain Why is soil important for animals?

-You see not all animals are carnivorous, some animals are herbivorous and soip
is where they found their food. Even to us humans, soil is important because this is
where we grow crops that we eat.

2. Identify In the table, fill in the reasons that nutrients, habitat, and water storage
are important.

What soil provides? Why is it important?

Nutrients Because plants, crops, and trees
needed nutrients to grow.
Habitat It provides habitat to a lot of animals like
the ones that lives on trees grass and
even underground.
Water storage Water is used by plants and animals.

3. Describe How do plant roots prevent erosion?

-The roots cunsumes the water which reduces the possibility of erosion plus
roots makes the soil stable and strong.

4. Identify Fill in the blank line in the figure to explain how contour plowing reduces
erosion.
-As we can see, it slows down the water that might be running down hill which
causes soil erosion.

5. Infer What do you think is the reason farmers use terraces only on very steep
hills?
-To pre- vent soil erosion. Terraces change one very steep field into many
smaller, flatter fields.
6. Apply Concepts How can crop rotation affect the number of plants that soil can
support?
-If the same crop is grown year after year in the same field, the soil can lose
certain nutrients and might not be able to grow many crops in the future.

Section Review
1. Define Write your own definition for soil conservation.
-Soil conservation is give enough nutrients to the soil that would needed to grow
plants, trees, and crops.

2. Identify Give three things that soil provides to living things.

- It gives source of food, water storage, and a habitat to different kinds of animals.

3. Compare How is weathering different from erosion?

-Weathering occurs in rocks while erosion is a displacement of soil and
sediments in different places.

4. Identify What are two causes of soil loss?

-Soil loss happens when soil losses nutrients needed to frow crops.
-Soil loss also occurs if soil is eroded in different places.

5. List What are five ways that farmers can help to conserve soil?
-CONTOUR PLOWING
-NO-TILL FARMING
-CROP ROTATION
-COVER CROPS
-TERRACING HILLS
6. Explain How does no-till farming help to reduce erosion?
- It helps cover the soil, preventing the wind and water to erode the soil in different
places. Strong rain may cause flooding that may erode the soil so the Old stalks of
the crops are left behind to serve as cover and a layer that would protect the soil.