1. THEME ON SOIL BIOLOGY AND BASIC ELEMENTS
Topic of Presentation:
SOIL BIOLOGY AND
BIODIvErSITY Of pAkISTAN
BY
rEHANA kHALIQ
LuCIAN BLAGA uNIvErSITY SIBIu

2. DEfINITION Of SOIL
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Soil
The upper layer of the earth which is composed of different thin
rock particles is helpful in the growth of vegetation and plants
that is called soil.
Basic Components of Soil
Soil has three basic components.
1.Solid particles like salt, mineral and organic matter.50%
2. Air ….25%
3.Water.25%
Importance of Soil
The kind of soil totally depends upon climate, location, vegetation
and rock material.
The agriculture of a country depends upon her soil’s structure and
kinds.
Soil is a gift of nature.

3. SAND, SILT, AND CLAY ARE THE BASIC TYPES OF SOIL.
MOST SOILS ARE MADE UP OF A COMBINATION OF THE THREE.
THE TEXTURE OF THE SOIL, HOW IT LOOKS AND FEELS,
DEPENDS UPON THE AMOUNT OF EACH ONE IN THAT
PARTICULAR SOIL. THE TYPE OF SOIL VARIES FROM PLACE TO
PLACE ON OUR PLANET AND CAN EVEN VARY FROM ONE PLACE
TO ANOTHER IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD.
boltakarachi.blogspot.com/.../agriculture-tips-typesof-pakistans.html

5. CLASSIfICATION Of SOILS
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The soil of Pakistan may be classified according to
the regional basis.
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1. Indus basin Soils: The soils found along the
current course of the Indus River
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2. Bongar Soils: These soils are found in the
historic Indus plain and are the best soils for
agriculture
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3. Khaddar Soils: It formed when, every year
during flood, a new layer of salty clay was deposited.
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4. Indus Delta Soils: Most of this soil is very clay
and was developed under seasonal flood waters.
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5. Mountain Soils: These rocky soils mostly cover
the highlands of northern and western areas
of Pakistan.
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6. Sandy Desert Soils: These soils are made by the
deposition of sand, layer by layer, year after year for
thousands of years.

6. SOIL TYpES Of pAkISTAN
boltakarachi.blogspot.com/.../agriculture-tips-types-of-pakistans.html

7. SOIL HOrIZONS

9. SOIL BIOLOGY
Soil biology is the study of microbial
and faunal activity and ecology in soil.
 Soil life or soil biota is a collective term for all
the organisms living within the soil.
 Bacteria and fungi play key roles in maintaining
a healthy soil.
 They act as decomposers that break down
organic materials to produce detritus and other
breakdown products.
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10. SOIL HEALTH
Soil health is an assessment of ability of a soil to meet its
range of ecosystem functions as appropriate to its
environment.
 The term soil health is used to assess the ability of a soil
to:
 Sustain plant and animal productivity and diversity;
 Maintain or enhance water and air quality;
 Support human health and habitation
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12. SOIL ORGANISMS
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MAcROORGANISMS
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MIcROORGANISMS
The micro-organisms include bacteria, actinomycetes, algae and fungi.
Macro-organisms include earthworms and arthropods such as insects, mites
and millipedes.
Each group plays a role in the soil ecosystem and can assist the organic farmer
in producing a healthy crop.
Micro-organisms can be grouped according to their function: free-living
decomposers convert organic matter into nutrients for plants and other
micro-organisms, rhizosphere organisms are symbiotically associated with
the plant roots and free-living nitrogen fixers.

13. Bacteria
Actinomycetes
Fungi

14. DEcOMPOSERS
•In an undisturbed soil, leaves and other organic
debris accumulate on the surface, where they are
broken down by the decomposers.
•Aerobic bacteria and certain small animals begin the
process.
•These organisms are joined by actinomycetes and
fungi.
•Mites, springtails, small insects, other arthropods and
earthworms assist the process by consuming, mixing
and transporting materials.
•The rate of decomposition is affected by soil
temperature, moisture and food availability.

15. DIVERSITY OF SELEcTED MIcROBES
AND THEIR ROLE
Nodules
The best known and most exploited symbiotic N2 fixing
The best known and most exploited symbiotic N2 fixing
bacteria belonging to family Rhizobiacea include the genera
bacteria belonging to family Rhizobiacea include the genera
such as Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium etc. They form nodules
such as Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium etc. They form nodules
with roots of leguminous plants
with roots of leguminous plants

16. Frankia is the genus of N2 fixing actinomyctes
capable of fixing N2 similar to rhizobial
symbiosis
Frankia
Frankia

17. CYANAOBACTERIA ANABAENA AZOLLAE IS A
SYMBIOTIC HETEROCYST NITROGEN FIXING
CYANAOBACTERIA WHICH LIES IN FRONDS IN THE
PORES OF THE AZOLLA
Blue green algae

18. AZOSPIRILLUM

19. VESICULAR ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZA (VAM)

20. PARISON OF ECTOMYCORRHIZAE WITH ENDOMYCORRHIZA

21. BIODIVERSITY
The soil is the home to a large proportion of the
world's biodiversity.
 Biodiversity is the diversity of life in an area.
 Biodiversity increases ecosystem productivity;
all of the species in that ecosystem, no matter
their size, have a big role.
 A diverse ecosystem can prevent and recover
from lots of disasters.
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The nutrients stored in the bodies of soil
organisms prevent nutrient loss by leaching.
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22. STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY
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Pakistan spans a number of the world’s ecological regions with its
latitudinal spread and immense variations in altitude.
These regions include the coastal mangrove forests of the Arabian Sea as
well as some of the highest mountains of the world, where the western
Himalayas, Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges meet.
This diversity encompasses a variety of habitats that support a rich
biodiversity.
A number of animals and plants have become endangered due to overexploitation and loss of natural habitat.
Deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, salinity and water logging have
become major threats to Pakistan’s remaining biodiversity.
The continuing loss of forest habitat, with its associated fauna and flora,
will have serious implications for the nation’s other natural and agricultural
ecosystems.

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MEDICINAL HERBS AND WILD PLANTS IN
DIFFERENT AREAS

24. MOUNTAIN PLANTS

25. TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM
There are many types of ecosystems on earth.
 Major classes of relatively contained ecosystems are
called Biomes.
 There are 3 Major classes of ecosystems
 Freshwater Ecosystems
 Terrestrial Ecosystems
 Ocean Ecosystems
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26. ECOSYSTEM

27. GEOGRAPHY OF PAKISTAN
•Pakistan lies in Southern Asia,
•bordering the Arabian Sea,
•between India on the east and
•Iran and Afghanistan on the
•west and China in the north
•total: 803,940 sq km
•land: 778,720 sq km
•(Cultivated, Rangeland, Protected
areas)
•water: 25,220 sq km

28. VEGETATION COVER
www.pakistanpaedia.com/land/GEO_7.html

29. PROTECTED AREAS IN PAKISTAN
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The national system of protected areas includes national parks, wildlife
sanctuaries and game reserves, and covers an area of 9.17 million hectares
(10.4 per cent of total land area).
These protected areas were designated by wildlife expeditions in the late
1960s. Many are too small and isolated to be effective; further, most
ecological zones, including many of the critically threatened ecosystems,
are not adequately represented within the protected area system.
Wildlife sanctuaries provide greater protection than national parks, while
game reserves afford no protection to habitat but merely regulate hunting.
The three categories of protected areas are inadequate for contemporary
needs.
Most of the remaining unprotected areas of biodiversity significance are
currently used and managed by local communities in one way or another.

30. PROTECTED AREAS IN PAKISTAN
Region/
National
Province
Parks
Azad Jammu
Kashmir
1
Baluchistan
Wildlife
Sanct.
Game Not
Res. classified
Total
parks
Total area
conserved (ha)
% of total
land area
8
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9
51,998
3.91
15
2
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7
7
31
1,837,704
5.29
Punjab
2
37
19
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58
3,315,803
16.14
NWFP
3
6
38
5
52
470,675
6.30
Sindh
1
35
14
4
54
1,307,575
9.27
Federal Territory 1
1
1
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3
94,186
100
Northern Areas
4
5
9
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18
2,092,180
2.97
14
99
96
16
225
9,170,121
10.4
Totals
www.icem.com.au/documents/biodiversity/bioplan/pakistan

31. POLICIES AND REGULATION
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Protected areas have been established for in-situ conservation of
biodiversity.
A wide range of laws also exists relating to conservation of various
components of biodiversity.
The key to protecting the biological diversity of Pakistan is
involving local communities and obtaining support from relevant
institutions in sustainable use initiatives.
The Government of Pakistan recognized the importance of these
measures in the preparation of the National Conservation Strategy
(1992) and in becoming a party to the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) in 1994.
The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), endorsed by the Pakistan
Environmental Protection Council (PEPC) in 1999, calls for
government agencies, local communities and NGOs to work
together as partners in biodiversity conservation.

32. THANKS!!!
THE END