Suelo: Soil covers much of the land on Earth.

It is made up of minerals (rock, sand, clay, silt), air, water, and organic material (matter from dead plants and animals). Soil provides a substrate for plants (roots anchor in soil), a source of food for plants, and a home for many animals (Col, 2001). Soil is defined as the top layer of the earths crust. It is formed by mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms. It is in fact an extremely complex, variable and living medium. The interface between the earth, the air and the water, soil is a non-renewable resource which performs many vital functions: food and other biomass production, storage, filtration and transformation of many substances including water, carbon, nitrogen. Soil has a role as a habitat and gene pool, serves as a platform for human activities, landscape and heritage and acts as a provider of raw materials. These functions are worthy of protection because of their socioeconomic as well as environmental importance (European Commission, 2012). The unconsolidated mineral matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to and influenced by genetic and environmental factors such as parent material, climate (including moisture and temperature effects), macro-and microorganisms, and topography, all acting over time and producing a productsoilthat differs from the material from which it was derived by many physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and characteristics (Kimmins, 1997) Those upper layers of the unconsolidated surface of the landscape that provide forest plants with the following necessities: water, nutrients, and a firm anchorage (Kimmins, 1997). The unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate surface of the Earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants. (ii) The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the Earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of: climate (including water and temperature effects), and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time. A productsoil differs from the material from which it is derived in many physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and characteristics (Soil Science Glossary, citado en NRCS n.d.). Definiciones de mltiples campos del conocimiento (NRCS, 2006): Definicin geolgica Loose surface of the earth as distinguished from solid bedrock. (Support of plant life not required). Definicion tradicional Material which nourishes and supports growing plants. (Includes rocks, water, snow, and even air all of which are capable of supporting plant life). Definicin por componentes

Mixture of mineral matter, organic matter, water and air. (Example: Loam soil = 45% mineral matter, 5% organic matter, 25% water, and 25% air). Definicin de la Taxonoma de Suelos Collection of natural bodies of the earths surface, in places modified or even made by man or earthy materials, containing living matter and supporting or capable of supporting plants out-ofdoors. Its upper limit is air or shallow water. At its margins it grades to deep water or to barren areas of rock or ice. Its lower limit is the lower limit of biologic activity, which generally coincides with the common rooting depth of native perennial plants, the depth to which soil weathering has been effective, or both. Como una porcin del paisaje collection of natural bodies occupying portions of the earths surface that support plants and that have properties due to the integrated effect of climate and living matter, acting upon parent material, as conditioned by relief, over periods of time.

Definicin personal Recurso no renovable de composicin mineral y orgnica que se localiza en la capa ms externa de la corteza terrestre que desarrolla complejos procesos hbridos (orgnicos e inorgnicos). Est constituido por materiales minerales no consolidados y restos de origen orgnico (humus), as como aire y agua. Es resultado de la combinacin de mltiples factores como la roca madre, las condiciones climticas, la vegetacin que ha sostenido, los micro y macro organismos que en l han habitado, la geomorfologa, entre otros. Sus propiedades y composicin varan en funcin de los factores antes mencionados. Provee un sustrato esencial para la vida como la conocemos y es por ello es de un valor incalculable.

Lista de referencias Col, J. (2001). Soil. Extrado de http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geology/soil/ European Commission (2012). Soil. Extrado de http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/index_en.htm Kimmins, J. P. (1997) Forest Ecology: a Foundation for Sustainable Management (2da edicin). USA: Prentice Hall Press NRCS (n.d.) What is soil? Extrado de http://soils.usda.gov/education/facts/soil.html NRCS (2006). Soils Fundamental concepts. Extrado de http://urbanext.illinois.edu/soil/concepts/concepts.pdf