ENVS 230 Soil: A Living System
This course explores the fundamental principles of soil science within the context of natural and human-focused ecosystems. Students will study soils as functional landscape components, gaining an overview of soil's morphological, physical, chemical, and biological properties, and how these interact to form a soil with unique characteristics and ecosystem function. Students will investigate the relationships of soil macro- and microorganisms to soil metabolism, structure, and biogeochemical cycles. Connections between nutrient availability, plant growth, land use, and agriculture will be explored. Students will compare and discuss soil properties from various ecosystems and from across the globe from the perspective of soil taxonomy, the processes that form these soils, and land use properties specific to each soil order. Current issues regarding land-use legacies, soil management, remediation, water and soil quality will be investigated. There is a lab requirement.
Prerequisite
CHEM 160 and a MATH course numbered 105 or above, or instructor's permission