students want to determine how vegetation affects soil erosion. they collect four soil samples of equal starting mass with different types of vegetative cover, as seen in the table below. each sample is placed in a three-sided plastic dish that can drain into a beaker and is exposed to the same amount of consistent, steady rainfall for ten minutes. the water and soil runoff are collected in the beaker and separated. the average values for each sample are provided below.
Table: Soil Samples and Average Values
| Soil Sample | Vegetative Cover | Average Soil Erosion (g) |
|---|---|---|
| Sample 1 | Grass | 2.5 |
| Sample 2 | Bare Soil | 6.3 |
| Sample 3 | Trees | 1.8 |
| Sample 4 | Shrubs | 3.2 |
Answer:
The students in this experiment are conducting a study to determine how different types of vegetative cover affect soil erosion. They have collected four soil samples of equal starting mass and exposed them to the same consistent, steady rainfall for a duration of ten minutes. The water and soil runoff from each sample were collected in a beaker and separated for analysis.
The average values for each sample are as follows:
- Sample 1 with grass as the vegetative cover had an average soil erosion of 2.5 grams.
- Sample 2 with bare soil had an average soil erosion of 6.3 grams.
- Sample 3 with trees as the vegetative cover had an average soil erosion of 1.8 grams.
- Sample 4 with shrubs as the vegetative cover had an average soil erosion of 3.2 grams.
From these average values, we can observe that the soil sample with grass as the vegetative cover experienced the lowest amount of soil erosion (2.5g), while the sample with bare soil had the highest erosion rate (6.3g). This suggests that grass has a protective effect against soil erosion, while bare soil is more susceptible to erosion.
The results also show that both trees (1.8g) and shrubs (3.2g) have a moderate effect in reducing soil erosion, although grass appears to be the most effective in preventing erosion. This experiment highlights the importance of vegetative cover in mitigating soil erosion and emphasizes the significance of maintaining vegetation in areas vulnerable to erosion.