Explain why the presence of large amounts of organic matter alone does not result in fertile soil.

Answer:

Soil fertility comes from a balance of the organic matter and mineral nutrients in a soil. The histosols of peat pogs are soils rich in organic material but poor in mineral nutrients, and are not fertile. Conversely, aridosols (desert soils) have an abundance of mineral nutrients but a dearth of organic matter and are also not fertile.