. Animal Ecology. Animal ecology. ? •:/': ^^?^ u ;>v' 3 >; ^:F. ? A - ^y. ;:. -^i cal i _ _ , , . !IK-rock materials brings absorptiuu of carbon dioxide and the formation of soluble bicarbonates. Hydration softens and increases the mass of some minerals, so that physical weather- ing of the rock bearing them is facilitated. Oxidation discoloring many rocks, especially those containing iron, is symptomatic of chemical changes in progress ; binding materials are weakened and crumbling oc- curs easily. Finally, many substances simply go into solution and are carried away. Where precipitatio
. Animal Ecology. Animal ecology. ? •:/': ^^?^ u ;>v' 3 >; ^:F. ? A - ^y. ;:. -^i cal i _ _ , , . !IK-rock materials brings absorptiuu of carbon dioxide and the formation of soluble bicarbonates. Hydration softens and increases the mass of some minerals, so that physical weather- ing of the rock bearing them is facilitated. Oxidation discoloring many rocks, especially those containing iron, is symptomatic of chemical changes in progress ; binding materials are weakened and crumbling oc- curs easily. Finally, many substances simply go into solution and are carried away. Where precipitation is frequent, water percolating through the soil carries soil nutrients to greater depths than where precipi- tation is light. In hot dry climates, organic matter may oxidize completely and so quickly its nutrients are lost to plants and microfauna. The cbniate prevailing there is a determinant of the kinds and prosperity of plant and animal life in an area. The biota has much less effect on soil for- mation in arid climates than in humid climates. By so much, desert vegetation is usually quite as locally distinctive as local soils are distinctive, but in humid regions, where many plant stages succeed one an- other, climax vegetations may be essentially the same regardless of whether the sere originally started on limestone, sandstone, or in a pond. Because of the interactions of parental rock, biota, and climate, dif- ferent soil profiles are formed, each characteristic of a specific climatic region and type of climax vegeta- tion. An understanding of soil profiles is prerequisite to understanding vagaries of animal distribution. Reactions, soil formation, and cycles 169. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Kendeigh, S. Charles (Samuel Charles), 1904-. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. , Prentice-Hall
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionbiodive, booksubjectanimalecology
