Soil taxonomy is the classification and naming of soils based on composition, location, and climate. The USDA system organizes soils into orders, suborders, large groups, subgroups, families, and series. Taxonomy allows for accurate communication and understanding of soil conditions, and is used extensively by soil scientists for various purposes.
Soil taxonomy is the practice of describing, classifying, and naming soils. Like the taxonomy of living organisms, soil taxonomy is designed to make it easier for people to communicate information about different types of soils, how they are used, their properties, and where they occur. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a complex system of soil taxonomy that is widely used and organizes public keys that can be used to identify soils, as well as mediate disputes over the taxonomy of various soils.
Under the USDA soil taxonomy system, soils are organized into orders, suborders, large groups, subgroups, families, and series, with orders being the largest category, while series being the smallest. Some examples of the 12 orders in the system include: Gelisols, Oxisols, Vertisols, Aridisols and Inceptisols.
When soils are taxonomized, their composition is a key feature, but scientists also evaluate their location and factors such as the climate in which the soil is found. Features such as permafrost can be important to taxonomy, for example, as can extreme dryness or humidity. Soil composition is based on a number of factors, including minerals in the area, decaying organic material, underlying geology, etc., and these influences can be very diverse, with thousands of soil types recognized by the USDA system .
Soil taxonomy performs a number of functions. The ability to use taxonomic nomenclature is crucial for people when they want to communicate with each other about soils, as instead of using a term like “loose, clayey soil,” they can select the appropriate series using a key, accurately communicating the details of the terrain type in a name. This is useful in preparing environmental reports and a wide variety of other documents, enabling anyone anywhere in the world to immediately understand the soil conditions in a given area when they are described taxonomically.
Soil taxonomy is also important because it creates a framework that people can use to understand soils. The hierarchical organization can be used to examine the relationships between different soil types, for example, and researchers can use this information to explore geology, agricultural techniques and a wide variety of other topics. Soil scientists use taxonomy extensively in their work, to do everything from describing the soil in someone’s backyard and discussing the implications for gardening to exploring topsoil loss from high winds, desertification, or flooding.
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