Sometimes we think of soil as nothing more than dirt that makes a mess when tracked inside! But soil is a bustling miniature world of diverse living things hidden from our view, vital to the health of our earth. Healthy soil ecosystems have all the same components of more visible ecosystems like forests, grasslands, or wetlands. <\/p>\n
Not only does healthy soil support its own ecosystem, but it is essential for the survival of the ecosystems living on it. For example, in a forest, healthy soil provides a place for plants to anchor themselves and grow, is a source of water and nutrients, and is a place for burrowing animals to nest. Soil also supports human efforts to grow and harvest food.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tVirtual Student Guide\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t Healthy soil is packed with organic (or carbon-based<\/strong>) matter and minerals that become nutrients for plants and microorganisms (living things that can only be seen with a microscope). The mineral<\/strong> nutrients come primarily from weathering rocks and from living and decomposed organic matter, and secondarily from rainfall and interactions between soil organisms and the atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n Carbon<\/strong> comes from the dead and living organisms on top of and within the soil. When carbon-based plants and animals die, their bodies decay with the help of soil decomposers, and the carbon moves into the soil. When living plants photosynthesize, they make carbon-based sugars for food. Most of these carbon-based sugars are drawn down into plant roots, while some move out into the soil. <\/p>\n\tHow are carbon and minerals important to healthy soil?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n