![]() ![]() ![]() Soil is not an inert medium but a living ecosystem that is essential to life. The cause of soil degradation and how it affects us It is the second-largest carbon sink after the ocean, constantly storing and releasing carbon, which regulates atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and, ultimately, the greenhouse effect. Soil also provides support for manmade structures, including treasured but fragile archaeological sites.įinally, soil plays a very important role in mitigating climate change. This in turn helps create oxygen and clean water for all life on Earth. Soil provides physical stability for plants by allowing the roots to anchor to something. A variety of medicines have been made from organisms that live in soil, such as penicillin - a group of antibiotics widely used to fight off bacterial infections. Soil also contains organisms that can kill harmful bacteria. Healthy soil contains high biodiversity, which helps fight off pests and allows fresh, nutritious plants to grow. Soil also regulates the movement of water and prevents floods by controlling whether rainfall, snowfall and irrigation water will flow over land or through it. This is promoted by the thousands of organisms that live in soil, including earthworms, ants and termites, which create channels and routes for water and air to flow through. Minerals and microbes filter and buffer potential pollutants, some of which are absorbed by soil particles. Soil plays a vital role in cleaning water. These include carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. The millions of organisms that live within soil interact with one another and contribute to a number of cycles that make all life on Earth possible. These qualities make brown earth well-suited for agriculture, and most British farms depend on it. At around 20 centimetres deep, it provides a lot of space and encouragement for roots to grow comfortably.īrown earth also drains water at a moderate rate, which allows plants to absorb enough water without drying out or flooding. One of the most widespread soils in Britain is brown earth, which covers about 45% of land in England and Wales.īrown earth has a deep top layer where most of the nutrients are and biological activities take place. A teaspoon of soil can contain more organisms than there are humans living on Earth. Nowhere else in the world is nature so densely packed. 'But there are also millions of things people won't be able to see like micro-organisms and all the fascinating work they do together.' 'There are some things in soils which will be visible to the naked eye, like invertebrates and plant roots,' explains Silvia. Healthy soil has a good combination of soil structure, chemistry, organic matter content, biology and water permeation for its type.Ī typically healthy soil will be teeming with biodiversity and may include a variety of earthworms, 20-30 types of small arachnids, 50-100 species of insects, hundreds of different fungi and thousands of bacteria species. These soils have different characteristics which can be useful for humans. The UK alone has over 700 varieties, such as clay, sand, silt, loam and peat. There are many types of soil around the world. It's when the topsoil and nutrients are lost either naturally, such as via wind erosion, or due to human actions, such as poor land management. Soil erosion is a part of soil degradation. Soil can lose certain physical, chemical or biological qualities that underpin the web of life within it. Soil degradation describes what happens when the quality of soil declines and diminishes its capacity to support animals and plants. These organisms have a major influence on soil, such as its formation, structure and productivity.' What is soil degradation? Silvia Pressel, a Museum researcher in the Algae, Fungi and Plants Division, says, 'Soil is full of millions of living organisms that interact with one another. The dirt beneath our feet often goes unnoticed but it is key to sustaining all life on Earth. It supports countless ecosystems and provides us with essential food and resources. Soil is a priceless, non-renewable resource that's home to thousands of animals, plants and other important organisms. ![]()
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