Microbial Diversity is Critical for Soil Health
Microbial diversity is critical for maintaining soil health and protecting against environmental stresses. It is an indicator of soil health.
Microbial Diversity and Soil Health
Microbial Diversity is important in soil and compost. Microbes are critical to sustaining ecosystem functions.
Soil biodiversity refers to the variability of micro-organisms and meso-fauna and macro-fauna in soil.
Micro-organisms include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes.
Mesa-fauna include acari and springtails.
Macro-fauna includes earthworms and termites.
Plant roots have a symbiotic relationship and interactions with various soil components.
Together these organisms form a complex web of biological activity. They form the essential services to sustainable ecosystems.
These ecosystem services include nutrient cycling, nutrient acquisition by plants, soil physical structures, water regime structures, soil organic carbon dynamics, soil carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, and plant health.
Combined these services are an important resource for the sustainable management of agriculture systems.
And more diverse microbial communities in soil and compost can help plants better cope with disturbance and stress.
Soil Organic Matter Contains Humus and Glomalin
A measurable component of SOM is soil organic carbon (SOC) – the carbon component of soil.
Approximately 58% of the mass of soil organic matter (SOM) exists as soil organic carbon (SOC).
SOC contains both humus and glomalin, key components of soils.
Humus is the stable fraction of the soil organic matter.
Glomalin is a compound excreted by mycorrhizal fungi that adds carbon to the soil in vast quantities and improves soil structure.
For more information, refer to Education and Natural Resources.
- Last Modified: May 17, 2024