Importance of soil

I have never really thought about the importance of soil, but after having read chapter 3 of Briggs’s work I now see how it plays a huge role in the ecosystem, biological diversity and in the life of all plants and animals.  It is the base of all living things and  “functions as an interface, mediating exchanges of energy, water, and gases among the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. (45) If you think about it, without soil, the plants that are necessary for animals and humans to live could not exist.  Because soil is such a crucial part to the existence of all living things, it is very important that it is studied and researched.  Understanding how diverse soil conditions can lead to plant and animal species diversity is crucial to understanding the ecosystem.

Many times in this class we have discussed the poor and unsuccessful agriculture in the most of the Adirondacks, but in this reading, we learn why the soil is so darn unsuitable for agriculture – the mineral soils are relatively coarse textured or sandy which means they have macro pores that can not effectively store enough water, which results in low fertility.  The unfertile soil combined with the harsh climate makes it easy to see why the Native Americans never actually settled in the Adirondacks and why many early European settlements in the area failed.