Soil Biology,the engineers in the soil

In conjunction with climate, these organisms are responsible for the decay of organic matter, retaining and cycling of both macro- and micro-nutrients back into forms that plants can use. Microorganisms like fungi and bacteria use the carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients in organic matter as food in order to obtain energy to survive. Microscopic soil animals like protozoa, amoebae, nematodes, and mites feed on the organic matter, fungi, bacteria, and each other for the same purpose. When these organisms die, they release the nutrients they took up for the plant to consume. These activities stabilize soil aggregates building a better soil habitat and improving soil structure, health and productivity. This means that a soil is able to replenish and support itself and the life in it, through the functioning of the ecosystem. It also means that in a farming system, a proper balancing of these organisms which live in our soils can help the farmer to be less reliant on expensive and ineffective chemicals. For example, you will never be able to permanently get rid of weeds using herbicides, they are a band aid and not particularly effective band aids because you have to keep on using them time after time. To get off the chemical bandwagon one has to understand the life that is in the soil and put those willing workers back to work for you. All you have to do is just feed them and they will feed you back! The soil is a system which can only function at its best if the biology (soil organisms/life) is there to enhance the chemistry (nutrients) and physics (structure) for the benefit of the plant.