What is the role of living organisms in soil formation?
1. Living organisms play an important role in the formation of soil.
2. Plants, animals, and micro-organisms (fungi and bacteria) all affect soil formation by producing or contributing to humus production.
3. They increase the fertility of the soil and also help in maintaining the structure and aeration of the soil.
4. Soil organisms decompose the organic matter of dead and decaying animals and plants and enrich the soil with inorganic nutrients, which can be taken up by plants.
5. Microorganisms are essential to soil formation and soil ecology because they control the flux of nutrients to plants (i.e., control of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles,), promote nitrogen fixation, and promote soil detoxification of inorganic and naturally occurring organic pollutants