1. Soil and Natural Vegetation CGC1D Fri, Feb 28, 2014

2. Soil  Soil is a naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose material on the surface of the earth, capable of supporting life  Soil is made up of four components (MOMA):  Minerals- come from a parent material (rock), provides nutrients to plants  Organic Material/ Bacteria- decaying materials release nutrients  Moisture- dissolves nutrients, decays organic materials  Air- roots need air pockets. Created by worms, insects, and small animals that burrow in the soil  Copy the

3. Rich in organic materials Dark brown/ black Mineral and organic later lighter brown Where soil is “made” Soil Profile

4.  Plants need moisture and heat in order to survive  Natural vegetation refers to those plants that grow without any human interference.  There are 3 main types of natural vegetation in Canada: tundra, forest, and grassland.  Canada is divided into 7 natural vegetation regions: Natural Vegetation

5. Deciduous Forest

6.  Far North- above the treeline  shrubs, mosses, lichens, small flowers  Cold, short growing season  Very little precipitation (<400 mm)  Thin soils, permafrost. Tundra

7.  to the south of the Tundra  Mostly Coniferous (needle-bearing) trees  Longer growing season than Tundra  More precipitation than Tundra  Grey, shallow, acidic soil. Boreal and Taiga Forest

8.  Transition zone between Boreal and Deciduous forests  Both deciduous and coniferous trees  Active lumber industry  Warm summers, cool winters  Regular, abundant precipitation  Deep, grey-brown topsoil, rich in minerals  Well suited to farming  Disappearing in the southern region due to farming, transportation routes, and urbanization. Mixed Forest

9.  A very small region in Canada  Found in SW Ontario  Has mostly been cleared for farming and urban development  Long, hot summers, mild winters, lots of rain  Hardwood trees: maple, beech, ash  Dark brown topsoil rich in minerals, most fertile soils in Eastern Canada. Deciduous Forest

10.  climate is too dry for most species of trees to survive  Some trees along river valleys  Native grasses everywhere  Short-grass prairie: driest areas to the south, unsuitable for most crops. Used for grazing cattle.  Long-grass prairie: increased precipitation, rich black soil  Parkland: transition zone between prairie and boreal forest. Grasslands

11. Short Grass Prairie Long Grass Prairie Parkland

12.  This region has a wide range of soils, temperatures, rainfall, and elevations  Varies from large coniferous forests in wetter locations to grasses and cacti in drier regions. Cordilleran Vegetation

13.  Lush rainforests  Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, red cedar  Heavy rainfall  Mild climate. West Coast Forest

14. Ecozones  An ecozone is an area of the earth’s surface that has a unique combination of plants, wildlife, climate, landforms, and human activities.  If you were to overlay or combine the climate, landforms, soil (and vegetation) regions of Canada, you would see patterns emerge resulting in Canada’s 15 terrestrial (land) ecozones ++=