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Soil and Natural
Vegetation Connections
ANSWERS/RESOURCE LIST
while the smaller particles of clay prevent rapid drainage. A
well-balanced mixture of both allows the soil to hold
moisture, and at the same time allows water to pass
through at a rate moderate enough to allow plants to take
up nutrients.
Student Book Questions, pp. 155-156
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
1. Describe the four components that make up a true soil.
ANSWER: (pp. 145–146) The four components of a true
soil are minerals, bacteria and organic materials, air, and
moisture.
• Minerals, w hich come from rock, become part of the soil
when the rock is broken down into smaller particles
called sand, silt, or clay. Many of these minerals (e.g.,
calcium, phosphorous, and potassium) provide
nutrients to plants.
• When organic materials, i.e., plants and animals, die,
they are decomposed by bacteria in the soil. As bacteria
break down these organic materials, humus is formed.
Humus provides nutrients and moisture for plants, and
gives the soil its dark colour.
• Plants need air around their roots. Humus helps
produce air in the soil because the loose, decaying
materials allow for many air pockets. Insects, worms,
and small animals that tunnel through the soil also
provide air spaces.
• Moisture, i.e., water, dissolves nutrients in the soil and
is taken up by plants through their roots. Moisture is
necessary for plant survival and for the chemical and
physical processes that weather rock and decay
organic materials.
2. a) How is topsoil formed?
ANSWER: (pp. 145–146) Topsoil is formed very slowly
as dead plants, leaves, and animals are decomposed
by bacteria. The decaying organic materials form
humus, which gives the topsoil its dark colour.
b) How long has it taken to form topsoil in Canada?
ANSWER: (p. 146) It has taken 6000 to 10 000 years to
form 15-25 cm of topsoil in Canada. This is how long it
has been since glaciers have retreated.
c) Why does the topsoil differ in thickness in different
parts of Canada?
ANSWER: (pp. 147–148, 153–154) The creation of topsoil is related to the influence of climate, which in turn
affects the amount of vegetation in a given area. In cold
climates where there is little vegetation, humus does
not build up, and the topsoil remains thin. In warm
climates where there is more vegetation, the humus
builds up from greater amounts of decaying plants,
leaves, and wood. This results in a thicker, richer topsoil.
3. Why is the size of rock particles important to soil
structure?
ANSWER: (p. 146, see margin) The larger rock particles of
sand allow rain water to drain quickly through the soil,
4. Explain the difference between leaching and calcification.
ANSWER: (pp. 147–148)
• Leaching occurs in areas of high precipitation
(creating wet-climate soils); calcification occurs in dry
climates areas (creating dry-climate soils).
• The leaching process is a downward movement of
water through the soil; the calcification process is an
upward movement of water through the soil.
• As leaching occurs, water dissolves the chemical
nutrients and carries them downward; as calcification
occurs, water evaporates, leaving behind the minerals
that were dissolved in it.
• Leaching removes nutrients in the soil that plants
need to survive; calcification builds up nutrients and
minerals in the upper portion of the soil.
• Excessive leaching results in a poor, often thin, topsoil
layer; excessive calcification results in a layer of
mineral deposits that is poisonous to plants.
5.
In your own words, explain the meaning of the term
"natural vegetation."
ANSWER: (p. 149) Natural vegetation refers to plants and
trees that grow without any human interference.
6.
There are two classes of trees. Which one can survive
a harsher climate? Why?
ANSWER: (p. 151, see Fig. 13-9 caption) Coniferous trees
can survive in a harsher (colder) climate because they have
the following characteristics:
• Long roots are able to extract nutrients from the
poor soil.
• Sticky sap prevents the needles from freezing.
• Waxy needles and thick bark prevent a loss of
moisture in times of drought.
• The needles and flexible branches easily shed snow
to prevent damage.
• The needles can conduct photosynthesis on warm
days beyond the normal growing season.
8. Explain, in your own words, the term "transition
zone." Give an example and explain why this vegetation region is a transition zone.
ANSWER: Answers will vary, but should include the
following points:
• A transition zone is an area where the natural
vegetation of one region gradually changes into the
natural vegetation of another region.
• A transition zone is the line on a map that shows the
boundary between one vegetation region and an
other, but does not indicate an abrupt change in the
natural vegetation.
• A large transition zone is considered to be a
vegetation region in itself.
• A transition zone is the area where the climate and
soil conditions of one region begin to change into the
climate and soil conditions of another region. Example
and explanation: An example of a transition zone is the
Mixed forest vegetation region. This region is located
between the Boreal and Taiga forest region and the
Deciduous forest region. The Mixed forest vegetation
region is a transition zone because it has the same type
of natural vegetation, namely coniferous and deciduous
forests, as the two regions that border it In the northern
part of the region the climate is similar to that of the
Boreal and Taiga forest, while in the southern part of the
region the climate is similar to that of the Deciduous forest. The soil in northern parts of this transition zone is
similar to the leached, infertile soil of the Boreal and Taiga
forest; in southern parts, it resembles the soil of the
Deciduous forest.
ANALYZE AND APPLY
Connections Answers/Resource List
181
11. Copy Fig. 13-18 into your notebook. Complete the
chart using the information in this chapter.
ANSWER:
Vegetation
Region
Types of
Natural
Vegetation
Temperature
Character istics
Precipitation
Character istics
Soil
Character istics
Tundra
• shrubs,
mosses,
lichens,
small flowers
• plants mature
and bloom very
quickly to produce seeds before the cold
weather
• cold
• short
growing
season
• very little
precipitation,
most areas
less than
400 mm
• thin soils
• permafrost
• only the top
metre of permafrost thaws in
summer
• water-logged
surface because
water cannot
drain downward
• very little
humus in thin
layer of topsoil
Boreal
and Taiga
Forest
• coniferous
trees, e.g ,
white and black
spruce, balsam
fir, pine (evergreens), which
lose few
needles
• hardy deciduous trees
(poplar and
white birch) in
southern portion
• cold
temperatures
• short
growing
season
• wet climate
• very little
humus
• shallow
topsoil
• grey-coloured
topsoil
• acidic
• rainfall and
snowmelt wash
away soluble
minerals
• leached soil
• infertile and
unsuitable for
agriculture
• few organ isms such as
bacteria and
earthworms
9. Fig. 13-17 shows the relationship between precipitation and soil fertility in temperate latitudes. Copy the
graph in your notebook, and mark the following on it:
a) a brown prairie soil
b) a lightly leached soil
c) a black prairie soil
d) a heavily leached soil
e) the boundary between wet-climate and dryclimate soils
ANSWER:
Wet climate
soils
Dry climate
soils
A black
prairie soil
A lightly
leached soil
A brown
prairie soil
r
7. Name the Canadian vegetation region which:
a) is the largest
ANSWER: (p. 148) the Boreal and Taiga forest region
b) is the smallest
ANSWER: (p. 148) the Deciduous forest region
c) is the wettest
ANSWER: (p. 148) the West Coast forest region
d) is the coldest
ANSWER: (p. 148) the Tundra region
Chapter 13: Soil and Natural Vegetation
10. "Natural vegetation is usually quite different from
plants which people cultivate for food or for use in industry." Explain the differences.
ANSWER: Answers will var y, but should include the
following main points:
• Natural vegetation seeds itself naturally in the wild;
cultivated plants are artificially germinated, and often
begin life in the controlled conditions of a greenhouse.
• Natural vegetation has not been subject to DNA
engineering; many cultivated plants have been
genetically engineered to make them more colourful,
disease-resistant, or unnaturally big.
• Unlike cultivated plants, natural vegetation is neither
fertilized nor sprayed to control insects and weeds.
• Unlike cultivated plants, the land on which natural
vegetation grows is not irrigated.
• Natural vegetation consists of a mixture of many
different species of plants and trees growing together,
all of which compete for space, light, moisture, and
nutrients; only one species of cultivated plant is grown
in a particular field at any given time, which eliminates
competition from any other plant species for survival.
/
I
\
A heavily
leached soil I
\
Soil types
Precipitation
182
Chapter 13: Soil and Natural Vegetation Connections Answers/Resource List
Temperature
Characteristics
Vegetation
Region
Types of
Natural
Vegetation
Mixed
Forest
• regular,
• coniferous
• temperate
abundant
and deciduous climate has
trees (spruce, warm summers
fir, pine, cedar, and cool
hemlock, maple winters
beech, ash, oak, • cold winds
birch)
create a harsh
• small shrubs, climate along
e.g., junipers the coast of the
along the coast Maritime
of the Maritime provinces
provinces
Deciduous
Forest
Grassland
• short
grass
• Tong
grass
• deciduous
trees (especially hardwood
trees such as
maple, beech,
hickory, ash,
black walnut)
• long, hot
summers
• minimum of
five months of
warm weather
• relatively
mild winters
• cold winters,
• droughtresistant short hot summers
grasses with
root system
which forms a
sod mat
• sagebrush
and cactus
• trembling
aspen, willow,
and spruce
grow only in
river valleys
where enough
moisture is
available
• long grass
• grains
• oil seeds
• cold winters,
hot summers
Precipitation
Characteristics
• plentiful
• very dry
• limited
rainfall
• high
evaporation
• dry
• increased
precipitation
• just enough
rainfall to keep
the minerals
within easy
reach of the
grass roots
Soil
Characteristics
Vegetation
Region
Types of
Natural
Vegetation
Temperature
Characteristics
Precipitation
Characteristics
Soil
Characteristics
• deep, greybrown topsoil
rich in minerals
• good supply
of humus
• few soluble
minerals are
removed from
topsoil by
leaching
• suitable for
farming
• parkland
• long grass
dotted with
clumps of
trees
• coniferous
trees more
common in
the north
• deciduous
trees dominate
in the south
• cold
winters,
hot surnmers
• more precipitation than
grassed area,
but less than
forested area
• transition
soil between
the rich black
soil of long
grass and the
grey -coloured
soil of the
Boreal forest
• less acidic
than Mixed
forest because
of greater number of deciduous trees
• more humus
than Mixed
forest
• humus-rich
topsoil is dark
brown
• some soluble
minerals
leached from
topsoil by abundant rain
• most fertile
soil of eastern
Canada
• limited
amount of
humus
• calcified
soils
• unsuitable
for crops
• suitable
for grazing
cattle and
other
animals
• large
amounts of
humus that
result in rich
black soil
• richest soil
in Canada
• produces
some of the
best grains in
the world
Cordilleran
Vegetation
West Coast
Forest
• vegetation
varies greatly
due to varying
temperatures
and precipitation
• grasses and
cactuses in dry,
hot valleys on
the east side of
mountains
• coniferous
forests on
lower slopes
where precipitation is heavier
• meadows of
flowers and
shrubs similar
to Tundra vegetation on higher
slopes above
tree line
• no vegetation
on the very
highest slopes
12. a) Using Fig. 13-5 and 12-21, p. 143, match each
vegetation region to the corresponding climate
region.
ANSWER: (pp. 148, 143)
Vegetation Region
Corresponding Climate Regions
Tundra
Arctic
West Coast forest
Pacific Maritime
Cordilleran vegetation Cordilleran
and wet, and encourages the growth of deciduous and
coniferous trees. The dry climate of the Prairies does not
encourage the growth of trees, but the grass grows abun dantly. North of the Prairies, the Boreal and Taiga forest
region has climate conditions that are harsher than those in
the Mixed forest and Grassla nd regions. These conditions
prevent deciduous trees from growing, but the coniferous
trees still survive. Farther north, where temperatures are
even colder, the coniferous trees begin to thin out, until they
gradually disappear. Above the tree line is the Tundra where
only small shrubs, moss, and lichen grow close to the
ground, between patches of bare rock. In Arctic areas of the
Tundra, there is nothing but snow and ice.
Boreal and Taiga forest Boreal, Taiga, and Atlantic Maritime
• warmer in
the valleys than
high in the
mountains
• dry, hot
valleys on
east side of
mountains
• temperatures
get colder with
elevation
• temperate
• mild climate
rain forest (lush
forests of
Douglas fir,
Sitka spruce,
red cedar, western hemlock)
• trees more
than 1 m in
diameter, and
over 50 m high
• heavier
rainfall on
west side of
mountains
• drier on the
east side of
mountains
• heavier precipitation on
lower slopes
• snow and ice
on the very
highest slopes
• soils of all
types
• soils change
completely
within a short
distance
• soil type
determined by
elevation,
slope, rainfall,
and vegetation
cover
• in dry, hot
valleys on east
side of mountains, soils are
similar to those
in short grasslands
• irrigation is
often required
for agriculture
• grey -coloured
soils under
coniferous
forests
• Tundra soils
and bare rock
on higher
slopes above
tree line
• heavy rainfall • lush vegetation provides a
lot of plant
material to
make humus
• minerals
leached deep
into the soil
Chapter 13: Soil and. Natural Vegetation Connections Answers/Resource List
183
Grassland
Prairie
Mixed forest
primarily Southeastern and Atlantic
Maritime
Southeastern
Deciduous forest
b) The mixed forest and the deciduous forest regions
are found in the same climate region. Explain how
two vegetation regions can both occur in the same
climate region.
ANSWER: In the Southeastern climate region, the
summers are relatively long and hot, the winters cool,
and the precipitation plentiful. These conditions are
ideal for deciduous trees, e.g., maple, beech, hickory,
ash, and black walnut, because they need at least five
months of warm weather to store up energy in their
roots and trunk to survive the winter. Coniferous trees
also find the conditions of the Southeastern climate
ideal. They can survive the warm summers, and thrive
on the abundant precipitation.They can withstand the
relatively mild winters because they have characteristics
that enable them to survive in the harsh, northern conditions of the Boreal and Taiga climate. We therefore
find deciduous trees from the Mixed and Deciduous forest regions, and coniferous trees from the Mixed forest
region, throughout the Southeastern climate region.
13. "If you climb up a mountain, you will find a similar
sequence of vegetation to that you would find if you
travelled from southern Canada to the high Arctic."
Explain why this is a valid statement.
ANSWER: Answers will vary, but the explanation should
be in a logical form similar to the following answer. As
you climb up a mountain, the temperature
decreases. With every increase in altitude, the air becomes
colder. The change in the mountains climate has a direct
effect on the type of vegetation growing up the mountain
side. The warmer temperatures at the bottom encourage the
growth of deciduous and coniferous trees and abundant
groundcover in the form of grass, small plants, and shrubs.
Higher up, the deciduous trees start to disappear because
they cannot survive the colder temperatures. As the climate
becomes even colder, the groundcover and shrubs begin to
disappear. The coniferous trees begin to thin out, and gradually disappear. All that remains is moss, and very small
plants growing between patches of bare rock. A snow cap
sits on the very top of the mountain all year.
As you travel from southern Canada to the high Arctic,
the climate becomes colder. It affects the vegetation in the
same way that an increasingly colder climate affects the
vegetation growing up a mountain side. The weather in the
Southeastern climate region of southern Canada is warm
1'84
English as a Second Language Activity, TSP
blackline master p. 186
A.1.G;2.D;3.J;4.F;5.K;6.H;7A;8.B;9.E;10.I
B. 1. infertile; 2. plentiful; 3. leached; 4. lush; 5. mild;
6. natural; 7 moist; 8. coniferous; 9. evaporates; 10.
densely
CHAPTER RESOURCE LIST
Books and Booklets
Attenborough, David. The Living Planet. Boston: Little,
Brown, and Co., 1984.
Bastedo, Jamie. Reaching North: A Celebration of the Subarctic.
Red Deer, Alta.: Red Deer College Press, 1998. ISBN
0889951705
Colpitts, Mark C. Forest Soils of New Brunswick. Ottawa:
Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service,
1995. 96-06493/1
Eastern Canadian Boreal and Sub-arctic Wetlands: A Resource
Document. Ottawa: Environment Canada, Atmospheric
Environment Service, 1991. ISBN 0662184734
Lawford, Richard G., Paul Alaback, Eduardo Fuentes, eds.
High-Latitude Rainforests and Associated Ecosystems of the
West Coast of the Americas: Climate, Hydrology, Ecology,
and Conservation. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1996.
ISBN 0387944877
Ruitenberg, Arie A., and Clay Douglas, eds. Geology, Soils
and Climate of Fundy National Park and Its Greater
Ecosystem: the Effects on Vegetation. Alma, NB:
Department of Canadian Heritage, Fundy National
Park, 1996. FUN/96-08
Shields, J.A. et al. Soil Landscapes of Canada: Procedures,
Manual and User's Handbook. Ottawa: Agriculture
Canada, 1991, no.1868. ISBN 0662188268
Sims, R.A. Forest Site Classification iii Canada: A Current
Perspective. Ottawa: Forestry Canada, Science and
Sustainable Development Directorate, 1992. F042174/1992E
Chapter 13: Soil and Natural Vegetation C o n n e c t i o n s Answers/Resource List