Ecology Lec: 5

The Lithosphere (lithos=roack;sphere=area, domain)

The earth is divided into various regions or layers from its innermost
centre to its outer surface. The innermost layer is called as Core, whereas
middle region is named as Mantle and the outermost part of the earth
is known as Crust.
The lithosphere refers to the solid, outer part of the earth. It includes
the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust. It is bounded by the
atmosphere above and the asthenosphere (a part of the upper mantle)
below. The lithosphere is the most rigid of Earth’s layers and extends from
the surface of the earth to a depth of about 70–100 km. There are two types
of lithosphere viz. oceanic lithosphere (which is under oceans) and
continental lithosphere (which is open or terrestrial landmass). Entire
lithosphere is composed of several crustal plates known as tectonic plates
which keep floating on the molten material below them. Movements of
these tectonic plates bring about various changes on earth’s surface such as
earthquakes, volcanic activity and continental drifts.
Generally speaking, by lithosphere we mean the rocks and the soil
derived from the crustal rocks. There are about a dozens of elements which
mainly constitute the lithosphere
i.e earth’s crust. Rocks form the basis of the lithosphere and soil is formed
by the disintegration of these rocks. Three types of rocks are found on
the earth’s surface.

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 Igneous Rocks (igneous= eruptive, fiery): They are formed by the
cooling and solidification of the molten rock material called Magma. All
other types of rocks are formed from this type. Examples include:
Basalts, Diorite, etc.

Sedimentary Rocks (sediment= deposit): They develop as a result of

gradual accumulation and hardening of mineral particles brought together
by winds, water or other agencies. These rocks form distinct layers during
the process of their formation. Examples include: Sandstone, Shale,
Limestone, etc.

Metamorphic Rocks (metamorphosis=transformation): These

rocks are formed as a result of metamorphosis of igneous and
sedimentary rocks. This transformation occurs under high pressure and
extreme heat. Examples include Schist, Slate, Marble, Quartizite etc.

Soil
Soil is the most important feature of lithosphere from life’s point of
view. It is the soil which provides substratum to most of the life forms on
the earth. It is the soil that provides support, home, water and nutrients to
living organisms. It forms the topmost layer of earth’s crust and is a
mixture of many solids, liquids and gaseous substances.

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 Soil is formed through the interactions among the weathering of underlying rock,
the climate, plants and the activities of millions of insects and earthworms etc. All
these physical, chemical and the biological activities build up the soil layer over a
long period of time. As a result of various processes (i.e. physical, chemical and
biological) occurring within the soil of a particular place, a mature soil develops a
definite soil structure which is characteristic of the environmental conditions of that
place. It has both the living and non-living matter like mineral particles, decaying
plant remains and insects living together with countless bacteria on its organic matter.
In addition soil holds water and air in its pore. The combination of all these nutrients
in the body of soil provides the plants food for their growth. When the plants die,
the nutrients absorbed by them again become part of the soil system as they are
decomposed by soil biota into simpler substances.
Soils are structurally and characteristically composed of five major components:
mineral materials, organic matter, water, air, and soil organisms. The composition
and proportion of these components together with the environmental conditions
determine the characteristics of soil.

Soil profile
Starting from the underlying rock which supplies the parent material for the
formation of soil, a series of layers are developed. Each layer is called a soil horizon
and the sequence of horizons is termed as the soil profile. There are five main types
of horizons in soil. These are denoted as O, A, B, C and R horizons.
Soil texture
It refers to the relative proportion of particles of various sizes in a given soil. Soil
texture is, thus, determined by the relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay particles
in the soil. For this purpose, soil particles are classified into different size (diameter
in mm) categories:
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Name of the particle Diameter range (mm)

Clay Less than 0.002

Silt 0.002-0.02
Fine sand 0.02-0.20
Coarse sand 0.20-2.0
Stones and Gravel Above 2.0

Soil texture directly influences the soil-water relationships, aeration and root
penetration through its relationship with inter-particle pore space. Indirectly it also
affects the nutritional status of soil. Sandy soils are nutrient-deficient due to high
porosity.
Other characteristics of soil include its density, porosity, moisture content,
temperature, air, pH, biota, fertility, colour, water retention capacity, ion exchange
capacity, etc. These characteristic features vary from soil to soil.