What is the soil food web?
The Soil Food Web Contributed by: paraniodpete Submitted: 02-27-2003 THE SOIL FOOD WEB Unseen beneath our feet, there dwells a teeming microscopic universe of complex living organisms that few humans ever consider. In one teaspoon of soil alone, there may he over 600 million bacterial cells. These bacterial cells exist in complex predator-prey relationships with countless other diverse organisms. This topsoil food web forms the foundation for healthy soil, healthy plants, and ultimately, a healthy planet. The soil food web is the community of organisms living all or part of their lives in the soil. The food web has a basic set of expected organisms groups, but the numbers of organisms and different species in each group can vary significantly by plant and soil type. Photosynthesizing living plant material provides the initial energy to the soil food system through their roots. Living plant roots exude many types of complex high-energy nutrient molecules into the surrounding soil. Dead
The soil food web is made up of the soil’s organic matter including bacteria, fungi, microscopic insects, mites, animals, and tiny worms. Research has found that trees prefer soils that are rich in fungi, as well as other components of the soil food web. But most landscape trees grow in soils that are high in bacteria. The Care of Trees can treat your trees’ soils to provide more fungi – and a more desirable growing environment.
The soil food web is made up of all of the beneficial soil microorganisms that “Mother Nature” has taken millions of years to perfect. They consist of bacteria, mycorrhizae, beneficial nematodes and other microscopic organisms that provide nutrients, water, protection from harmful diseases, heat and cold stress, speed up germination of seed, growth hormones as well as many other functions.
