2.10: Soil Organic Matter

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1. List five reasons soil organic matter is important.

2. Explain the role of soil in the global carbon cycle.

3. Which soil order contains the greatest amount of carbon? What two factors account for the fact that the soil order contains the greatest amount of carbon?

4. How does organic matter influence soil physical properties?

5. How does organic matter influence soil chemical properties?

6. Explain the difference between the active and passive pools of soil organic matter.

7. List five factors that promote gains in soil organic matter content and five factors that promote losses in soil organic matter content.

8. How does climate influence soil organic matter content?

9. Which generally has a higher soil organic matter content, grassland or forests? Why?

10. How does soil organic matter content of agricultural soils compare to soils with natural vegetation? Why?