Question

Which of the following soil suborder belongs to the soil order of inceptisols?

• A. Aquents
• B. Ustalfs
• C. Aquepts
• D. Udults

Hint:

Suffixes are your best friend!
Order Name: Inceptisols.
Formative Element: -epts.
Look for the letters from the order name hidden in the suborder name!

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question tests knowledge of the nomenclature system in USDA Soil Taxonomy, specifically how suborders are named based on their parent order.
Detailed Explanation:

• Taxonomical Hierarchy:
Soil Taxonomy has levels: Order $\rightarrow$ Suborder $\rightarrow$ Great Group $\rightarrow$ Subgroup $\rightarrow$ Family $\rightarrow$ Series.

• Suborder Naming Rule:
The name of a suborder consists of two parts:
- A prefix that indicates a formative property (like 'aqu-' for wetness, 'ust-' for moisture regime).
- A suffix that is the formative element derived from the parent Soil Order.

• Matching Suffixes to Orders:
Entisols $\rightarrow$ suffix -ents
Alfisols $\rightarrow$ suffix -alfs
Ultisols $\rightarrow$ suffix -ults
Inceptisols $\rightarrow$ suffix -epts

• Analyzing the Options:
Aquents (A): Formed from Aqu- + -ents. Parent Order: Entisols.
Ustalfs (B): Formed from Ust- + -alfs. Parent Order: Alfisols.
Aquepts (C): Formed from Aqu- + -epts. Parent Order: Inceptisols.
Udults (D): Formed from Ud- + -ults. Parent Order: Ultisols.

Step 2: Final Answer:
Aquepts is a suborder of Inceptisols characterized by waterlogged conditions (aquic moisture regime).