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| The Soils Around Us | |
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| Functions of Soils in Our Ecosystem | |
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| Medium for Plant Growth | |
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| Regulator of Water Supplies | |
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| Recycler of Raw Materials | |
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| Habitat for Soil Organisms | |
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| Engineering Medium | |
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| Pedosphere as Environmental Interface | |
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| Soil as a Natural Body | |
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| The Soil Profile and Its Layers (Horizons) | |
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| Topsoil and Subsoil | |
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| Soil: The Interface of Air, Minerals, Water, and Life | |
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| Mineral (Inorganic) Constituents of Soils | |
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| Soil Organic Matter | |
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| Soil Water: A Dynamic Solution | |
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| Soil Air: A Changing Mixture of Gases | |
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| Interaction of Four Components to Supply Plant Nutrients | |
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| Nutrient Uptake by Plant Roots | |
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| Soil Quality, Degradation, and Resilience | |
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| Conclusion Study | |
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| Questions | |
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| References | |
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| Formation of Soils from Parent Materials | |
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| Weathering of Rocks and Minerals | |
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| Factors Influencing Soil Formation | |
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| Parent Materials | |
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| Climate | |
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| Biota: Living Organisms | |
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| Topography | |
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| Time | |
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| Four Basic Processes of Soil Formation | |
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| The Soil Profile | |
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| Conclusion Study | |
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| Questions | |
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| References | |
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| Soil Classification | |
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| Concept of Individual Soils | |
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| Comprehensive Classification System: Soil Taxonomy | |
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| Categories and Nomenclature of Soil Taxonomy | |
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| Soil Orders | |
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| Entisols (Recent: Little If Any Profile Development) | |
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| Inceptisols (Few Diagnostic Features: Inception of B Horizon) | |
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| Andisols (Volcanic Ash Soils) | |
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| Gelisols (Permafrost and Frost Churning) | |
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| Histisols (Organic Soils without Permafrost) | |
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| Aridisols (Dry Soils) | |
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| Vertisols (Dark, Swelling and Cracking Clays) | |
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| Mollisols (Dark, Soft Soils of Grasslands) | |
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| Alfisols (Argillic or Natric Horizon, Medium to High Bases) | |
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| Ultisols (Argillic Horizon, Low Bases) | |
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| Spodosols (Acid, Sandy, Forest Soils, Low Bases) | |
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| Oxisols (Oxic Horizon, Highly Weathered) | |
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| Lower-Level Categories in Soil Taxonomy | |
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| Conclusion Study | |
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| Questions | |
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| References | |
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| Soil Architecture and Physical Properties | |
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| Soil Color | |
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| Soil Texture (Size Distribution of Soil Particles) | |
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| Soil Textural Classes | |
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| Structure of Mineral Soils | |
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| Formation and Stabilization of Soil Aggregates | |
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| Tillage and Structural Management of Soils | |
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| Soil Density | |
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| Pore Space of Mineral Soils | |
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| Soil Properties Relevant to Engineering Uses | |
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| Conclusion Study | |
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| Questions | |
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| References | |
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| Soil Water: Characteristics and Behavior | |
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| Structure and Related Properties of Water | |
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| Capillary Fundamentals and Soil Water | |
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| Soil Water Energy Concepts | |
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| Soil Water Content and Soil Water Potential | |
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| The Flow of Liquid Water in Soil | |
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| Infiltration and Percolation | |
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| Water Vapor Movement in Soils | |
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| Qualitative Description of Soil Wetness | |
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| Factors Affecting Amount of Plant-Available Soil Water | |
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| Mechanisms by Which Plants Are Supplied with Water | |
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| Conclusion Study | |
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| Questions | |
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| References | |
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| Soil and the Hydrologic Cycle | |