What we currently know about the soil microbiome is just the tip of the iceberg. It turns out that it’s not just the cathartic release of ripping weeds out of the ground that is lifting your spirits- soil microbiomes may also contain antidepressants. If you are a gardener, you may have already noticed that spending time with your hands in the soil can have a calming effect. Yes, you read that right: plants have their own internet. These hidden networks transfer not only water and nutrients between plants, but also chemicals that allow the plants to communicate with one another in a natural “internet” that is critical to forest ecosystems survival. For example, researchers have found that communities of trees are interconnected by an underground network of mycorrhizae (fungi that live symbiotically between and within plant roots). These multitudes of soil organisms interact with plants in fascinating ways scientists are only now discovering. In fact, there are more soil microorganisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on the Earth. Recent research has revealed that soil has a microbiome, much like the microbiome we now know inhabits our own digestive systems. Soil is aliveīack when my Soils 101 professor was explaining to us what soil is-a date I prefer not to disclose-scientists were just beginning to understand to what degree living organisms play a part in soil health.
Without soil, the Earth’s land would be a lifeless slab of rock. Soils are infinitely diverse, morphing based on their parent material (underlying rock), local climate and topography, and the plants, animals, and fungi that inhabit them. Distinct soil “horizons” transition from the nutrient-laden topsoil that teems with life, all the way down to mere crumbled rocks beneath. It is the interface between the atmosphere and bedrock. Within minutes of sitting down to my first Soils 101 class, the professor abruptly asked, “Can anybody tell me what soil is?” My inner monologue went something like this: “What do you mean what soil is? It’s just soil… right?” And then, with increasing panic, I thought, “OMG, I am majoring in soil science and I can’t even explain what it is.”Īfter a few brave students offered up some inadequate guesses, the professor patiently explained that soil is a natural body made up of minerals, air, water, organic matter, and living organisms.
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