When people think about life on earth they usually picture animals, plants, or huge oceans full of fish but one of the post fascinating ecostystems is something that we walk all over every single day without noticing: soil. Beneath your feet is a a hidden world filled with billions of living organisms, all working together to support our life here on this planet.
A single handful of soil can contain more microorganisms than the total amount of people on earth. These include bacteria, fungi, insects, and tiny creatures, called nematodes. Even though they may be small they play a huge role in breaking down dead plants and animals turning them into nutrients to help new plants grow. Without this process ecosystems wouldn’t be able to survive.
Soil is also essential for growing food. For example, farmers depend on healthy soil to produce crops and the quality of soil can affect how nutritious our food is. Rich soil still holds water better, and supports stronger plants. This is why practices like composting and crop rotation are so important. They help keep soil full of life.
Soil helps fight climate change and stores more carbon than the atmosphere and all plant life combined. When soil is damaged or has too much distribution, that carbon can be released into air contributing to global warming. Even though it may just look like dirt, soil is one of the most important and complex systems on earth, so next time you stem outside remember that beneath you is a busy, living, world that helps keeps everything else alive.
