ECTS credits ECTS credits: 6
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 99 Hours of tutorials: 3 Expository Class: 24 Interactive Classroom: 24 Total: 150
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Center Faculty of Geography and History
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: Sin docencia (Extinguida)
Enrolment: No Matriculable
Soil is an essential part of ecosystems, performs environmental and production functions indispensable for life on Earth and is a non-renewable resource that needs to be protected and preserved and, therefore, it must be taken into account in environmental management processes and land use planning.
During the course is intended to enable students to acquire basic knowledge about:
- The most relevant methodological aspects for the characterization and interpretation of soils.
- The most important tools for the use of soil information and its application to studies of environmental management and land planning, providing a basic understanding of soil mapping and assessment.
In general, it is intended to interest students in soil science, its applied character and inculcate the need for commitment to self-learning
THEORETICAL PROGRAM
I. THE SOIL NATURE
1. The Soil science. Historical development and relationship to other sciences.
2. Concept of soil. Soil as a system. Productive and environmental functions of soils. Threats.
3. Organization of the soil. From the pedosphere to soil microstructure. Pedon, profile and horizons. Nomenclature of soil horizons.
4. Soil components. Nature, composition, properties and methods of study. Solid phase: mineral and organic components. Liquid phase: soil water. Gas phase: soil atmosphere. Soil biota
II. SOIL PROPERTIES
1. Physical properties. Colour. Texture. Structure. Density. Porosity. Permeability. Temperature.
2. Physic-chemical properties. Bases of soil reactivity. Dissolution-precipitation reactions. Surface interactions: ion exchange and retention of ions. Acid-base reactions: pH and soil acidity. Oxidation-reduction
III. SOIL FORMATION: FACTORS AND PROCESSES
1. Factors of soil formation. Influence of environmental factors on soil formation and characteristics: parent material, climate, relief, organisms and time. Human influence.
2. Pedogenetic processes. Weathering, embrowning and reddening. Decomposition of organic matter: humification and mineralization. Reducing conditions and alternation of oxidation-reduction conditions. Ripening. Pedoturbation. Eluviation and illuviation of clay. Podzolization. Secondary accumulation of gypsum and calcium carbonate. Salinity and sodicity. Formation of dense, cemented horizons
IV. SOIL CLASSIFICATION
1. The soil classification. Principles and problems. Historical development of soil classification. Types of soil classifications.
2. Modern classifications. World Reference Base for Soil Resources (FAO, IUSS, ISRIC). Soil Taxonomy (USDA).
3. The World Reference Base for Soil Resources. Structure and usage rules. Horizons, properties and diagnostic materials. Reference soil groups and second-level units.
V. SOIL TYPES AND DISTRIBUTION
1. Reference groups of the World Reference Base for Soil Resources. Description, distribution, management and use
- Soils with thick organic layers: Histosols
- Soils with strong human influence: Anthrosols, Technosols.
- Soils with limited rooting: Cryosols, Leptosols
- Soils influenced by water: Vertisols, Fluvisols, Solonetzs, Solonchaks, Gleysols
- Soil with chemistry regulated by Fe / Al: Andosols, Podzols, Plinthosols, Nitisols, Ferralsols
- Soils with a layer of stagnating water: Planosols, Stagnosols
- Soils with accumulation of organic matter and high base saturation: Chernozems, Kastanozems, Phaeozems.
- Soils with accumulation of salts less soluble than gypsum or non-saline substances: Gypsisols, Calcisols, Durisols
- Soils with a subsoil rich in clay: Retisols, Alisols, Acrisols, Luvisols, Lixisols
- Relatively young soils with little or no profile development: Umbrisols, Arenosols, Cambisols, Regosols.
2. Orders of Soil Taxonomy: Alfisols, Andisols,Aridisols, Entisols, Gelisols, Histosols, Inceptisols, Mollisols, Oxisols, Spodosols, Ultisols, Vertisols. Equivalence with the World Reference Base for Soil Resources.
VI. SOIL AND LAND MANAGEMENT. MAPPING AND ASSESSMENT OF SOIL RESOURCES
1. Soil mapping. Map units. Types of soil maps.
2. Soil evaluation. The need to assess the soil: ecological, productive and socio-economic aspects. Intrinsic and extrinsic parameters for evaluation. Types of land evaluation systems: methodology and objectives.
3. Examples of evaluation systems: USDA Agrological Classes. Soil Fertility Capability Classification. FAO Scheme for Land Evaluation. Systems for non-agronomic evaluation.
INTERACTIVE PROGRAM
The interactive teaching has as main objective to train students in the knowledge of the basic techniques of morphological and physical-chemical characterization of soils, the interpretation and evaluation of their properties, and the use of soil information for application to the interpretation of the physical environment and land management. Along its development, special emphasis will be placed in the most representative examples of soil cover of Galicia.
SEMINARS
- Interpretation of soil description and morphology
- Interpretation of soil physical and physic-chemical properties
- Soil interpretation and classification.
- Soil maps. Information and use
- Use of soil evaluation systems.
FIELDWORK
- One day of field work (6 hours). Oriented to the interpretation of the soil formation factors, morphology, properties, and soil formation processes of different soil types of Galicia.
TUTORIAL
- Oriented to the resolution of the students' doubts.
Basic bibliography
- DRIESSEN PM, DECKERS, JA. SPAARGAREN, OC AND NACHTERGAELE FO (Eds.). 2001. Lecture Notes on the Major Soils of the World. World Soil Resources Reports 94. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. http://www.isric.org/Isric/Webdocs/Docs/Major_Soils_of_the_World/start… ftp://ftp.fao.org/agl/agll/docs/wsrr94e.pdf
IUSS Working Group WRB. 2015. World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2014, update 2015 International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps. World Soil Resources Reports No. 106. FAO, Rome. http://www.fao.org/3/i3794en/I3794en.pdf
- PORTA, J., LÓPEZ-ACEVEDO, M., POCH, R.M. 2008. Introducción a la Edafología. Uso y protección del suelo. Mundi-Prensa. (Biblioteca de la Facultad de Biología y Biblioteca de la Facultad de Farmacia)
Complementary bibliography
- EUROPEAN SOIL BUREAU NEWORK. 2005. Soil Atlas of Europe. European Comission, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Louxemburg. http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/projects/soil_atlas/Download.cfm
- MACÍAS, F. & CALVO, R. 2001. Atlas de la Galicia. Suelos. Consellería de la Presidencia, Xunta de la Galicia.
Disciplinary
- Basic knowledge of the concepts, methodology, tools and scientific terminology of soil science and related disciplines
- Knowledge of the world's soil diversity, the factors and processes that determine
their formation and the causes of their distribution.
- Ability to understand and apply soil information to physical environment studies, environmental management and land use planning
- Handling of specialized bibliography.
- Acquire skills for field work, integration of experimental information with theoretical knowledge and for the elaboration of reports.
Transversal
- Analysis and synthesis and problem-solving capacity.
- Teamwork.
- Critical thinking and autonomous learning.
- Ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practice.
- Oral and written communication.
- Adapting to new situations.
- Sensitivity to environmental issues
In the expositive lectures, oriented to the presentation of the basics of soil science, audio-visual aids will be used and the basic material to follow-up lectures together to complementary materials (text, graphics, tables …), will be available to students through the virtual campus of USC, to encourage participation and discussion in class. Also, computer resources via links to websites with abundant soil information, will be used.
The interactive classes will focus on the personal work of students under the tutelage and guidance of professors to discuss aspects of the subject that cannot be seen along the theoretical sessions, problem-solving and applied aspects of soil science. In the field session, the student work will focus on building the capacity of observation and description, and the evaluation and interpretation of soils.
The virtual classroom will be used as a tool for communication with students, offering them information on the teaching programme and complementary materials for studying the subject.
At the beginning of the course the following material will be provided to the students in the virtual classroom:
TEACHING GUIDE: the approved teaching guide for the subject.
ACTIVITY PLANNING: a guide indicating the planning of activities.
PRESENTATIONS: the presentations used by the teaching staff in the exhibition classes.
PROBLEMS: material for the interpretation and classification of soils and the solutions that will be discussed in the seminars.
Tutorial
Oriented to the resolution of the students' doubts.
Classroom learning
Expository and interactive classes: lectures will be carried out by combining both the master class (exposition and discussion of topics) and seminars (carrying out exercises). It is important that the student works on the material made available prior to the face-to-face sessions to promote teacher-student interaction. The assimilation of contents by the students will be verified through the completion of questionnaires that will be delivered through the virtual classroom.
Field practice: if possible, a field practice will be carried out to interpret the formation factors, morphology, properties, and processes of pedogenesis of different types of soils in Galicia. The involvement of students in the practice will be evaluated by means of a questionnaire.
Tutorial
Oriented to the resolution of the students' doubts.
Individualized Tutorials
They will be carried out in the teacher's office and/or through the MS Teams platform.
Communication channels with students
MS Teams: in the classroom of the subject, individual conversations for personalized tutoring.
Virtual classroom
E-mail (only the USC e-mail)
The evaluation will consider the attendance, participation and knowledge acquired in the face-to-face activities, the carrying out of a group work and a final exam.
a) Continuous evaluation (50% of the final grade) It will be valued according to the attendance and participation in the presential activities (10% of the final grade), the answers to questionnaires and problems that will be given to the students through the virtual classroom (20% of the final grade) and the accomplishment of a teamwork (20% of the final grade). The students will have to present, and expose, a work (made in groups of a maximum of 3 people) that will consist of the interpretation, evaluation, and classification of standard soils from real soil sheets; it will be valued according to the quality of the report, the clarity in the presentation of the results and its correct interpretation.
b) Final exam (50% of the final qualification). It will consist of questions on the theory program and on the interactive activities.
General criteria
To pass the subject at the 1st opportunity it will be obligatory to have carried out the activities corresponding to the continuous evaluation, reaching a score of at least 1/3 of its value. The final grade will be the sum of the scores of each of the evaluation criteria. If a minimum grade is not reached in the final exam (40% of its value) the final grade will be that of the exam.
To pass the subject at the second opportunity, the activities not passed in the first option will have to be carried out. If the student chooses to take only the final exam, the maximum grade can only be ‘approved’.
The qualifications for teamwork and for attendance and participation in teaching activities, in the event of having passed the minimum grade, will be kept until the end of the next academic year.
In the case of students who have been granted exemption from class attendance, the evaluation will be carried out by means of an examination on the contents of the programme (60% of the final grade) and a practical examination (40% of the final grade).
"In the case of fraudulent exercises or tests, the provisions of the Regulations for the Evaluation of Students' Academic Performance and the Revision of Grades shall apply".
Classroom activities:
- Theoretical classroom teaching: 32h
- Field practice: 6h
- Seminars: 10h
- Tutorials: 3h
- Exams: 3h
Personal work:
- Individual study and preparation for the final exam: 70h
- Elaboration of the team work: 30h
- Recommended reading, library activities or similar: 6h
Attendance and active participation in teaching activities.
In order to encourage participation in classes, we recommend the implementation of activities that arise along the course and, in particular, to work with the information provided through the Virtual Campus, before lectures and interactive activities.
Use of specialized literature, not only textbooks, but of research articles and popular science.
Distribute personal work (study, work performing, readings, etc.) throughout the semester.
Use of the tutorial hours along the course to ask any questions that arise during the study of the subject
If, throughout the course, limitations to the classroom activity arise, classroom teaching will be maintained or combined with synchronous virtual teaching via MS Teams (scenario 2, partial restrictions to physical attendance) or will be entirely virtual and synchronous (scenario 3, closure of the facilities).
Field practice. If possible, it will be carried out in person in scenario 2 and through an MS Teams session in which the teacher will guide the students in a virtual visit (photographs, data, discussion, …) (in scenario 2 if field work is not possible; scenario 3).
The evaluation criteria and its weighting will be the same for any of the situations described: 50% continuous evaluation (10% depending on attendance and participation in teaching activities, 20% answers to questionnaires, 20% qualification of teamwork) and 50% final test. In scenario 2, the final test will be in person if the number of students and the availability of classrooms allows it, or virtual (synchronous) via MS Teams and virtual classroom of the subject if it is not possible. In scenario 3, the final test will be virtual (synchronous) via MS Teams and virtual classroom.
Communication channels with students
MS Teams: in the classroom of the subject, individual conversations for personalized tutoring.
Virtual classroom
E-mail (only the USC e-mail)