Living organisms present in soil include archaea, bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, algae, protozoa, and a wide variety of larger soil fauna including springtails, mites, nematodes, earthworms, ants, and insects that spend all or part of their life underground, even larger organisms such as burrowing rodents.

Decomposers such as bacteria and fungi are busily working to break down fallen leaves and other dead plant matter. Worms, mites, pillbugs, slugs and other small consumers in turn feed on the bacteria, fungi, and partially decayed plant matter.

Macro-organisms: Those which can be seen with the naked eye. a. Arthropods; which include mites, millipedes, spiders, scorpions, and beetles are the primary macro organisms responsible for maintaining the health of our living soils.

Litterfall, plant litter, leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, or duff, is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground.

arid soils

Arid soil

Desert soil

Why are arid soils found to be non-productive? Answer: Due to the dry climate, high temperature, evaporation is faster and the soil lacks humus and moisture. The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by kankar, which restricts the infiltration of water.

There are many reasons why forests are cut down, but the biggest driver of deforestation is farming. The lack of arable land together with the growing demand for food have resulted in the clearing forests in order to provide enough land for crops and livestock.

Forest soils, where soil formation has been influenced by forest vegetation, are generally characterized by deeply rooted trees, significant ‘litter layers’ or O horizons, recycling of organic matter and nutrients, including wood, and wide varieties of soil-dwelling organisms (Figure 1).