Teaching GuideTerm
Faculty of Science
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Grao en Bioloxía
 Subjects
  Edaphfology
   Contents
Topic Sub-topic
PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS
Lesson 1.- History of Soil Science.

Lesson 2.- Soil descripton in field conditions. Laboratory techniques for soil studies.
Origin and development of Soils Science. Main topics in Soil Science.

Profile and horizons. Physical, Chemical and Bioñogical methods of soil analysis.
SOIL COMPOSITION
Lesson 3.- Soil mineral composition. Soil clays.


Lesson 4.- Soil organic matter.
Soil texture. Specific surface. Soil mineralogy. Soil clays. Structure and properties of most common soil clays. Oxyhydroxides.



Soil organic compounds. Humus. Organo-mineral associations. Organic matter and ecosystems: biogeochemical cycles.

SOIL PROPERTIES
Lesson 5.- Soil physical properties and soil structure. Lesson 6.- Soil water retention and water dynamics. Lesson 7.- Soil temperature and aeration.
Lesson 8.- Soil pH and cation exchange capacity.
Lesson 9.- Soil biology.
Lesson 10. Soil fertility
Bulk density and solid density. Soil porosity. Pore-size distribution. Aggregate dynamics in soils. Structural stability.

Soil moisture content and soil potential. Soil water measurement. Soil moisture characteristic curve. Soil water retention and soil water dynamics. Soil water and water requirements of vegetation.

Soil thermal properties. Soil temperature management. Composition of the soil atmosphere. Soil and gases of greenhouse effect.

Soil pH and soil acidity. Soil acidity effects. Acidity amendment. Exchange complex of soils. Cation exchange capacity.

Soil organisms. Soil enzymatic activity. Nucleic acids in soil. Soil organism and soil properties as indicators of soil quality.

Macronutrients and micronutrients. Nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium cycles. Calcium and magnesium. Iron, cupper, zinc, boron
and molybdenum. Other oligoelements

SOIL SYSTEMATICS AND CLASSIFICATION
Lesson 13.- Soil Systematics.
Lesson 14.- Introduction to Soil Taxonomy.
Lesson 15.- World Reference Base for Soil Resources.
Lesson 16.- Spanish and Galician Soils.

Genesic and diagnostic horizons. Soil profile. Horizon nomenclature.
Modern Soil Classifications. Soil Taxonomy. World Reference Base for
Soil Resources.

Characteristics for soil diagnosis. Moisture and temperature regimes. Oreders, suborders, great groups, subgroups, families, and series.

Organic soil. Soil with anthropic influences. Soils conditioned by topography and by time. Soils conditioned by cold, temperate, steppe, arid or semiarid and tropical or subtropical climates.

Soil under Atlantic climate. Soils under Mediterranean climate. Galician soils: parent material, climate, topography and vegetation effects.
FACTORS AND PROCESSES OF SOIL FORMATION
Lesson 11.- Factors of soil fromation.
Lesson 12.- Processes of soil formation.


Parent material. Climate. Topography. Times Vegetations and organisms. Anthropogenic factors.

Soil profile differentiation. Clay accumulation. Podzolization. Salinization. Calcification. Hydromorphic processes. Ferralitic alteration.
APPLIED SOIL SCIENCE
Lesson 17.- Applications of Soil Science.
Soil cartography.
Interactions soil-landscape.
Soil functions and society.
Soil and environment.
Soil contamination.
Recovery of contaminated soils.
Soil Use and Management.
PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES
Laboratory work

Field studies






Textural analysis
Bulk density and solid density, Porosity.
Aggregate stability
Soil pH.
Organic carbon and nitrogen
Cation exchange capacity
Soil extractable phosphorus
Bological activity and dehydrogenase activity

Case studies: Umbrisols, Cambisols, Fluvisols, and Gleysols
TRABAJOS TUTELADOS La erosión como fuente de contaminación difusa
Mecanismos y procesos de erosión hídrica bajo clima atlántico
Efecto de los incendios forestales en la degradación del suelo
Contaminación por actividades mineras
Contaminación por actividades ganaderas
Los vertederos y la contaminación del suelo
Contaminantes orgánicos
Indicadores físico-químicos de la calidad del suelo
Indicadores biológicos de la calidad del suelo
Suelos de viñedo en Galicia
Fertilización excesiva por purines
Riesgo de Compactación
Balance hídrico del suelo
Metales pesados en suelos

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