Course talk:APBI200/Archive/2017-18WT2

Do we need to memorize the nutrient cycle diagrams for the final? Or we just need to have a general understanding of the cycles?Thank you!

My suggestion to focus on inputs, transformations and losses for each of the cycles

I don't quite remember anything being stated about this in lecture, are we responsible for identifying the Great Group of a soil as well?

I'd like to know this as well. While doing the practice quiz on SoilWeb200 there were questions about identifying the great group, however this wasn't covered too much in lecture. Are we expected to know and identify the great groups in addition to the soil orders?

For the final exam you need to be able to identify soil orders and diagnostic horizons for each soil order. You should have a general idea of how the Canadian classification system works, but you will not be asked to differentiate great groups.

I'm wondering if material from lecture 33 on urban soils and lecture 37 on soil degradation will be on the final exam? Thanks!

Potentially, however the exam will focus on major concepts and I would recommend your studying efforts focus on things like nutrient cycles, soil classification, soil organisms etc. The exam does however have multiple choice, multiple answer and fill in the blank questions (similar to your two midterms) and topics related to urban soils or soil degradation may be covered in that context.

Hi Sandra, Will you be having any office hours tomorrow (Tuesday the 17th) or on Wednesday before the exam? Thanks, Jon

Hi Jon, no office hours since the end of classes. We did hold 2 review sessions. If you have specific questions, please post them here.

You can find the questions from our 3 practice exam sessions on the course wiki under exams http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:APBI200/Exams or go directly to http://lfs-sw.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2017/04/All-Discussion-sessions_2017.pdf

Answers from these Practice sessions #2 and #3 are posted on the walls across from Maja and Sandra's offices (room 227 and 229 MacMillan)

Thank you!

Q. I am doing my final review and I am wondering about will we have some past exam posted for review and do we have the key to our each lab and problem sets?

A. Hi Yinuo, The format of the final exam this year will be similar to our two midterm exams. We will not post old exams or answer keys to labs or problem sets. If you have specific questions you can 1) post your questions here or 2) come to Mondays review session 2:00-4:00 pm in McMl room 166

As simple as it sounds, can you please tell me the simplest difference between eluviation and illuviation? As far as I know, they are both a movement of soil matter in the soil horizons right?? (And they are both downward movements??)

One way to think about eluviation is "washing out" and illuviation as "washing in". Thus Ae is an eluviated A horizon - where organic matter, clay or Al/Fe oxides may be eluviated (or washed out) of the A horizon. Illuvial horizons include Bt, Bf, Bh where clay, Fe/Al oxides or organic colloids are "washed in" or accumulate.

For Lab assignment 6 Question 2, it asks to identify the soil horizon. I thought soil horizon was referring to O, A, B, or C horizon, so I put those as my answers. But, it seems like the question was asking for different organic horizons (L,F,H). For these types of questions, how are we supposed to know whether to put soil horizons or types of organic horizons?

You should be able to identify both mineral and organic horizons (particularly important are diagnostic horizons for the 10 soil orders)

re: horizon designations: for mineral horizons - only the C horizon can be on its own; A and B horizons will always be accompanied by a lower case letter

for organic horizons - 1) know how to identify an organic horizon - hint it is related to the %C 2) be clear on the distinction between poorly drained and well drained organic horizons

O will always have a lower case letter with it - Of, Om or Oh LFH are sometime written together In the case of lab #6 (Forest Floor), question #2 - parts b) and c) are distinguishing between H and Ah; part d) is asking you to identify the type of F horizon - Fa, Fm or Fz

Will problem set 3 and lab 7 be available for pick up by Monday (April 16)? If so, where can we pick it up?

Thank you!

Hi CheukNam, Lab #7 has been marked already and Problem Set #3 will be finished by noon Monday. All marked assignments are outside of our offices (room 227 and 229 MacMillan) and will also be available during our review session Monday afternoon (2:00-4:00 pm in room 160).

Question: You mentioned that the final will be cumulative and focus on second half of the course, does second half of the course means after midterm one? (material in midterm 2 and till the end of the course).
Answer: Final exam will focus on the material covered after midterm #1

First review session is today, Apr 12, 2:30-4:30 in McMl room 158

Pls remember to review material covered in labs #5 (parent material), #6 (forest floor), and #7 (soil classification), since that material is of relevance for the final exam.

Hi,

Will there be any calculation questions on the final exam?

Thanks, Thomas.

No, there will be no calculation type of questions on the final exam

I can't find any way to start the self-guide quest in UBC farm for lab 7, did I miss the deadline? I don't can't find any instruction about how to start the quest.

The quest is still open (it ends today, Apr 6 at 5pm) and the instructions how to do the quest and download the Questogo app are in the lab manual for the lab #6 on forest floor

Hello, Unfortunately, I have been trying to print my last problem set for the last 20 minutes with no success. I was wondering if I could email Dr. Krzic (or Dr. Brown) my problem set instead. Thank you!

All good... Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone!

  I am a bit confused of what is meant by osmotic potential of water. Do we assume high osmotic potential in water means high solute concentration in the soil water and low osmotic potential means low solute concentration in soil water? Do we then assume solute concentration in plants is very low then?

  Or does osmotic potential mean the difference in solute concentration between the soil water and in the plant (with high potential meaning a large difference and low osmotic potential meaning a low difference)? If this were the case, do we also assume plants have a low solute concentration so that we can comment on the direction in which water could be moving? 

I guess I would like a clarification of osmotic potential and if plants are only low in salts, or if there could be scenarios if plants carrying more salts than in soils.

As covered back in January, presence of solutes (or salts) reduces the total potential energy of water molecules, primarily because of the reduced freedom of movement of the water molecules that cluster around each solute ion. The greater the concentration of solutes the more the osmotic potential of water molecules is lowered. Or in other words, the more saline soil is, the lower the osmotic potential of water molecules in that soil.

Thank you!

Hi, is Lab 7 due today or tomorrow for those who have labs on Mondays?

For those of you who had labs last Monday (March 26th) your labs are due Tuesday April 3 before 5 pm.

Question 3, soil (e)

I am confused with this soil. I am trying to identify the order but cannot figure it out. The description of the vegetation matches with Chernozemic, however, the Ah thickness does not. I was going to say then Regosolic, but Regosolics do not have B horizons and this soil does.

I am not sure what should I consider to classify this soil.

Not sure what question you are referring to, but description of a soil in question #3d in the lab assignment #7 does not match Chernozem, which is a typical grassland soil and has a chernozemic Ah horizon as a diagnostic horizon. Soil in question #3d is located in a coniferous forest and it does not have any Ah horizon. It does, however, have 2 diagnostic horizons typical for one other soil order.
The original question posted here was about soil in question #3d, but since that has been changed to #3e, let me provide additional explanation about #3e:
Soil described in question #3e has distinct couple of soil formation processes present in both B and C horizons that are typical for one of 10 soil orders. Those 2 soil formation processes affect horizons starting at 9 cm depth all the way down to 120 cm, which is a clear sign that this soil belongs to that order (and no, I am not telling which one it is... ;-) ). This particular soil order occurs in various ecosystems, including grasslands, hence, type of ecosystem provided in the question #3e is not the main clue on which to decide the soil order.

In these types of questions (which you will also see on the final exam), the background information about a soil is to be used as a confirmation does the soil fit within the order you selected as your answer, but it is never the main source of information when deciding about the soil order. The type of horizons, their thickens, and additional info (if provided like in the case of one of the soils in question #5 of the last practice exam session) are the main guidance for deciding about soil orders.

Thank you very much, and sorry for the misunderstanding, I made a mistake at the beginning and wrote (d) instead of (e). Thanks for the extra information.

hi there! I was just wondering when we post our bonus assignments, do we not need to include our names? like when it says 'authors' for the 'Soil in the News' is that the author of the report we researched? do the markers of the bonus assignments see our names without us mentioning them, in order to get credited for our work?

thanks in advance!

No need to post your names for the 3 bonus assignments. I can see who posted what in the "History" of the UBC wiki.
The only bonus assignment for which you will need to post your name is forest floor quest

Hi! When will the answers to the discussion questions on Wednesday be posted?

They were posted last Wednesday, March 28 - both review sessions #2 and #3 are on the walls near Maja and Sandra's offices (McMl 227 and 229)