Ecosystems Overview and Components

Ecosystem Overview

• Ecosystems consist of living organisms that interact within a specific environment.
• Example: Tropical forests include trees, plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms.
• Ecosystem interactions are influenced by physical factors (sun, temperature) and chemical factors (oxygen, nutrients).

Global Ecosystem Components

• Ecosystems require five basic components: energy, mineral nutrients, water, oxygen, and living organisms.
• Most ecosystem energy is derived from the sun.

Pedosphere

• The pedosphere is the earth's outermost layer composed of soil, formed through interactions with the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
• It serves as the foundation for terrestrial life and is essential for soil formation processes.

Soil Definition and Characteristics

• Soil is a dynamic body formed from the weathering of rocks and minerals, along with the decomposition of organic materials.
• Composed of organic matter, mineral matter, air, and water, soil possesses distinct characteristics that impact plant growth.
• Soil taxonomy categorizes soils into six levels: Order, Suborder, Great Group, Subgroup, Family, and Series.

Soil as an Engineering Medium

• Soil is essential for building infrastructure like buildings, bridges, and roads.
• Its properties related to genesis and classification are crucial for engineering applications.

Soil Science

• Soil science studies soils as a natural resource and includes soil formation, classification, mapping, and analysis of physical, chemical, and biological properties.
• Two approaches in soil science:
  • Pedological Approach: Focus on theoretical aspects related to soil genesis and classification.
  • Edaphological Approach: Concentrates on practical implications for crop production and soil management.

History of Soil Science

• Early soil science development in France adopted Dokuchaev's concepts, leading to the first national soil map in 1838.
• In 1927, the first taxonomic classification of soils in America aligned with genetic soil types.
• International collaboration among soil scientists began in 1908, resulting in significant conferences like the First International Agronomical Pedology Conference in Budapest in 1909.