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Soil in the Taiga |
The soil found in the Taiga will often be wet and mud like, particularly in the Summer if the snow melts and is mostly very thin. A combination of a cold climate and acid conditions(from fallen conifer needles), result in reducing the rate of decomposition on the forest floor in the Taiga. This causes the availability of nutrients in the soil to reduce, leaving plants competing for the nutrients they need. Although the soil in the Taiga is low in nutrients, it is high in acid. When needles from the conifers decompose, they form a highly acidic soil. The PH being approximately 5, podzolization (a process by which soils are depleted of bases and become acidic) can occur in these areas. The soil is mostly infertile, which limits the plants that are able to grow in the soil. The result of no earthworms or similar in the Taiga, cause the soil to be compact and hard.
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