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Prairie soils developed many yards thick, whereas forest soils tend to be much thinner.
Prairie grasses grow very deep roots, then when buffalo came along and ate it or trampled it, the plant sheds those roots to match the above-ground growth. The green leaves regrow every year, or several times a year according to this pruning. The shed roots and any trampled or dead leaves become compost which improves and thickens the soil.
Forests do not have such fast soil development, because their only source of new compost is generally from leaves as they fall, or occasional trees when they fall. The accumulation of biomass is much slower. Evergreens do not shed yearly leaves like deciduous trees, so they develop soil slowest. Also, evergreens tend to grow acid soils compared to prairies.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoForest soils differ from prairie soils first by having an "O horizon". An O horizon is a layer in the soil, normally found at the top, which contains Organic matter and other decaying material. A forest soil also tends to have larger macropores due to the larger amount of vegetation that has roots growing there. A forest soil has a lower C:N (carbon-nitrogen) ratio, and is normally more moist than the prairie soil.
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What is the difference between forest and prairie soils?
how do forest soils different from prairie soils
What soil is formed under big vegetation?
You will have to define big vegetation before anyone can answer this question.There are big differences between soils that stem from the type of vegetation that grows on them. Prairie soils are much different than forest soils, for example.
Why is the soil profile in a rain forest different from in a desert?
The soil profile is different because the desert soil profile has contained a little organic mater also are thinner than soils in wetter climates.Prairie soils have thick, dark A horizons because the grasses that grow there contribute lots of organic matter. Temperate forest soils have thinner A horizons than prairie soils do.
What can prairie soils often be identified by?
their color
What has the author Olof Tamm written?
Olof Tamm has written: 'Northern coniferous forest soils' -- subject(s): Soils, Forest soils
What has the author S A Wilde written?
S. A. Wilde has written: 'Soils of Wisconsin in relation to silviculture' -- subject(s): Forest soils 'Russia of the tsars and poets' -- subject(s): History 'Forest soils' -- subject(s): Forest soils, Forests and forestry, Soils
How do the soils of the Atlantic coast differ from the soils of the gulf of Mexico?
they differ because the gulfs soil is richer than the Atlantic's.
How do clay soils differ from sandy soils?
The sandy soils let the water pass through but the clay soils hold the water
In what order does natural succession occur between prairie lake forest and marsh?
I think lake goes first, then prairie, next is forest and then marsh.
What types of soils in the deciduos forest?
Calcareous or chalky soilsPeatClay soilsSandy soils
How do the soils of the Atlantic coast differ from the soils of the Gulf of Mexico coast plain?
they differ because the gulfs soil is richer than the Atlantic's.
Which vegetation region of the US has themost fertile soils?
The tall grass prairie region has the most fertile soils. As you move westward, the tall grass prairie starts somewhere in Illinois, and includes Iowa, southern Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and northern Missouri. It gradually becomes short grass prairie, which also has quite fertile soils, but not to the same depths as tall grass prairie.
