Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

In regards to plant growth, what are some examples of natural causes of soil compaction (not including man made machinery)?

Hi,

Are you asking questions for a science fair project? Do you have a hypothesis in mind to test?

Different plants respond differently to soil density. It depends a lot on their water needs and root structure, so you can't make one general statement that would cover all soils and all plants.

Soil composition greatly affects density. Sandy soils are more porous than soils that have a high percentage of clay. The only cause of compaction in nature that I can think of would be animals like deer, elk or bison that could compact the soil on their trails. Most natural soils are open because earthworms, insects and small mammals keep 'cultivating' it.

I don't know what you are aiming at because you did not provide any information. If you want science project help then you have to tell us what you plan to do.

Please keep ALL your posts in ONE thread so we can follow it.

Repost with your ideas and we will make some suggestions on how to turn them into a good project.

Sybee

kims14. You are receiving excellent advice here, so we closed your duplicate thread. It helps our mentors and other students to keep all discussion in one thread. Thanks for using Science Buddies, and good luck with your project!