tropical red latsol

• spatial distribution

  found 5 degrees north and south of the Equator
• classification of soil

  zonal (mature soil)
• climatic conditions and influence on the soils

  • hot , humid and wet climate (rainforests) is perfect conditions
  • rapid nutrient cycle due to nutrients being absorbed by roots of plants so quickly - underlying soil is exhausted of nutrients quickly
• vegetation

  rainforest
• how is the soil used by humans?

  poor for agriculture due to lack of nutrients - good for pastoral farming such as cattle ranching
• what causes their red colour?

  because of intense leaching , only iron and alunimum components remain , giving it its red colour
• why is there low levels of humus?

  because tropics are rich in biodiversity and has lots of vegetation

  • leaves behind decaying plant matter
  • once it decomposes into humus , it's absorbed by plants so soil doesn't contain lots of nutirneds
• what causes high levels of leaching?

  high rainfall levels in the rainforest leaches topsoil
• what's shifting cultivation?

  when farming practices allow the soil to recover after agriculture
• slash and burn is where an area is stripped of plants and then burned - clears an area quickly and adds nutrients to the soil