Soil: A Living Ecosystem

By Kymisha Montgomery, CGC Urban Agriculture Coordinator

There is no disputing the fact that plants, animals and insects are alive—but what about the soil? Is soil alive? The answer is yes! Although it may be slow moving, slow growing and slow changing, it’s a complex web of life beneath the surface. There are more species of organisms in the soil than there are above it. Soil is brimming with an incredible community of organisms—like bacteria, fungi, insects and earthworms—that actively interact with each other, constantly breaking down organic matter and cycling nutrients, making it an energetic ecosystem.

Soil has much more in common with the living things we’re familiar with than you may think. It, too, has minerals, air, water and living organisms that are constantly working together. But they don’t just live in the soil…they are the soil! A single handful of soil can contain more than a million individual organisms, from microscopic bacteria to larger insects and creatures. This makes it so diverse.

Soil supports entire ecosystems, so we shouldn’t take it for granted. It essentially supports the entire food chain and contributes to a healthy environment; without it, human life would be very difficult. It’s the largest store of earthbound carbon and contains about three times more organic carbon than vegetation and twice as much carbon than is present in the atmosphere, which is important to reduce climate change. 

Soil is also a store of archives. It holds records of past environmental conditions and ecosystems of human history. Having evidence of human activity and artifacts preserved makes it easier to identify past land use patterns and how landscapes may have changed over time.

What can you do to promote healthy soil and prevent biodiversity loss? Minimize tillage, practice crop rotation, use regenerative agriculture principles, add biodiversity by growing many different species of plants and keeping living roots growing throughout the growing season. The garden is the perfect place to start!