Know Soil, Know Life Glossary
This glossary is designed for more advanced explorations of soil science terms and words. The words and definitions are from the SSSA Book Know Soil Know Life.
Not finding a word? Try the advanced Glossary of Soil Science Terms. Too advanced? Check out the Young Scientists glossary for introductory words and definitions.
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Crop Rotation |
A planned sequence of crops growing in a regularly recurring succession on the same area of land, as contrasted to continuous culture of one crop or growing a variable sequence of crops. |
| Critical zone |
Soil or pedosphere—the zone or area at the surface of the earth where life (the biosphere), water (the hydrosphere), minerals (the lithosphere), and air (the atmosphere) intersect and interact. |
| Crop |
A plant used for human purposes, such as food, fiber, construction material or fuel. |
| Cryic |
average annual soil temperature soil is near freezing, lacks permafrost |
| Cyanobacteria |
Bacteria that use sunlight as an energy source, may use n2 from the atmosphere as a nitrogen source, and which evolve molecular oxygen (O2) (formerly called blue-green algae). |
| Deficiency |
When a nutrient is not plentiful enough to allow for proper growth. |
| Deforestation |
The permanent removal of trees until less than 10% of the forested land remains. |
| Denitrification |
In the absence of molecular oxygen (O2), some bacteria can use oxidized nitrogen (nitrate and nitrite) as a terminal electron acceptor and produce dinitrogen gas (N2). |
| Desertification |
Land degradation where the land area is becoming increasing dry and inhospitable to plants and animals. |
| Desorb (desorption) |
Detachment of ions from mineral and organic matter surfaces to the soil solution. |
| Detailed soil map |
A soil map on which the boundaries are shown between all soils that are significant to potential use as field management systems. |
| Detailed reconnaissance soil map |
A reconnaissance map on which some areas or features are shown in greater detail than usual, or than others. |
| Detention Basins |
Basins constructed to contain storm water runoff, especially from construction sites, to allow sediments to settle prior to runoff water entering surface waterways such as streams and rivers. |
| Detritivores |
Organisms that eat detritus (organic matter) that is added to the soil as organisms die |
| Diatom |
Plant-like protists (algae) that have a siliceous cell wall and can use sunlight as an energy source. |
