Soils In Natural Landscapes

Description: In any complete investigation of terrestrial ecosystems, rocks and soils must be considered. Soils are essential resources, providing water and nutrients for vascular plants, and mitigating the flow of water from the land. In addition, soil diversity is critical for biotic diversity. While there are many references on the agricultural perspective of soils, there is a need for a basic soils book for those concerned with natural landscapes and ecosystems. Soils in Natural Landscapes fills this niche, providing a thorough introduction to the physics, chemistry, and biology of soils and their roles in local to global systems. The book begins by describing the field of soils and the major roles of soils in natural landscapes. The chapters that follow cover a range of topics: Soil parent material Architecture of soils Temperature and soils Water, air, and climate Classification of soils Soil landscapes Plant nutrition Soil organisms Organic matter in soils The author also discusses global issues such as water and carbon cycles, global warming, and acid rain. He addresses land management for different uses, soil quality, and soil degradation. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this book provides practical insights for the evaluation of soils in natural environments and their non-intensive management.

Contents: Soils, Landscapes and Ecosystems Concepts of Soils Soils from the Bottom Up and from the Top Down Soils, Landscapes, and Ecosystems A Global Perspective Land Use Land Management Soil Parent Material, Weathering, and Primary Particles Parent Material Weathering Primary Soil Particles Clay Ion-exchange and the Soil Solution Soil Architecture-Structural Units and Horizons Soil Structure Soil Pores and Soil Density Soil Strength Ecosystem Effects of Soil Structure Soil Horizons and Pedons Heat and Soil Temperature Sources of Heat and Heat Transfer at the Surface of Earth Soil Temperatures Soil Temperature Regimes Soil Temperature Effects Soil Water, Air, and Climate Infiltration of Water into Soils Energy Status and Disposition of Water in Soils Water Storage and Air in Soils Movement of Water and Air in Soils Evaporation and Transpiration Composition of Air in the Soil Atmosphere A Landscape Perspective Global Patterns of Precipitation Soil Classification-Kinds of Soils Organisation of the USDA System, Soil Taxonomy Diagnostic Horizons Soil Temperature and Moisture Regimes Order and Lower Levels of Soil Taxonomy The World Reference Base (WRB) Features of Soil in the 12 Orders of Soil Taxonomy Global Distributions of Soils Hydric Soils Soils and Landscapes Lithology and Stratigraphy Landforms and Topography Climate Biota (Plants, Animals, and Other Living Organisms) Plant Communities and Ecosystems Soils and Time Soils and Ecological Landscape Maps Primary Production and Plant Nutrition Primary Productivity Plants in the Physical Environment and Photosynthesis Role of Soils in Plant Nutrition Potential Plant Productivity Soil Organisms: Life in Soils Faunal and Microorganism Habitats Viruses Main Kinds of Organisms Living in Soils Soil Ecology Soil Organic Matter Sources of Organic Matter and Its Composition in Plant Tissues Decomposition of Organic Matter Composition of Soil Organic Matter Distributions of Soil Organic Matter Functions of Soil Organic Matter Soils and Global Processes Crust of Earth Free Water Balance Carbon Cycle Ancient Climates, Plants, Weathering, and Atmospheric CO2 and Methane Nitrogen Cycle Sulphur Cycle Acid Rain, Water, and Soils Phosphorus Cycle Nutrient Cycling, Plant (Site) Productivity Land Management and Soil Quality Types of Use and Management for Different Land Water Soil Degradation Diversity of Plants and Animals Soil Quality Degraded Landscapes and Soils Glossary References Appendix A: Extensive and Intensive Properties and Flow of Heat, Air, and Water in Soils Appendix B: Forms of Life Appendix C: Notes on the Elemental Nutrition of Living Organisms Appendix D: Rock Classification for Nongeologists Appendix E: Naming the Suborders, Great Groups , and Subgroups in Soil Taxonomy Appendix F: Taxonomic Names of the Plants

Author Biography: Earl B. Alexander is a retired pedologist, if you can call writing books (first author of Serpentine Geoecology of Western North America) and professional papers retirement. He has a Ph.D. in soils and has worked for the Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS), the California (now Pacific Southwest) Forest and Range Experiment Station, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the University of Nevada, and three regions of the U.S. Forest Service. He has mapped and investigated soils in Ohio, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Nevada, California, Oregon, Alaska, and other states and provinces in western North America. He has developed interpretations for evaluating soil conditions and expected soil behaviours and made and reviewed recommendations for land management. More than 75 of his papers have been published in professional journals.