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  2. Soil - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil

    Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from soil by restricting the former term specifically to displaced soil.

  3. Soil formation - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_formation

    Additionally, some bacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen, and some fungi are efficient at extracting deep soil phosphorus and increasing soil carbon levels in the form of glomalin. [69] Plants hold soil against erosion, and accumulated plant material build soil humus levels. Plant root exudation supports microbial activity.

  4. Soil science - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_science

    A soil scientist examining horizons within a soil profile. Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.

  5. Topsoil - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topsoil

    Bacteria and fungi can be essential in facilitating nutrient exchange with plants and in breaking down organic matter into a form that roots can absorb. Insects also play important roles in breaking down material and aerating and rotating the soil. Many species directly contribute to the health of the soil resulting in stronger plants. [1]

  6. Soil ecology - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_ecology

    Soil microbial communities experience shifts in the diversity and composition during dehydration and rehydration cycles. [5] Soil moisture affects carbon cycling a phenomenon known as Birch effect. [6] [7] Temperature variations in soil are influenced by factors such as seasonality, environmental conditions, vegetation, and soil composition.

  7. Biological soil crust - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_soil_crust

    Biological soil crusts are most often [3] composed of fungi, lichens, cyanobacteria, bryophytes, and algae in varying proportions. These organisms live in intimate association in the uppermost few millimeters of the soil surface, and are the biological basis for the formation of soil crusts.

  8. Pedosphere - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedosphere

    The pedosphere is the skin of the Earth and only develops when there is a dynamic interaction between the atmosphere (air in and above the soil), biosphere (living organisms), lithosphere (unconsolidated regolith and consolidated bedrock) and the hydrosphere (water in, on and below the soil). The pedosphere is the foundation of terrestrial life ...

  9. Primary succession - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_succession

    One example of primary succession takes place after a volcano has erupted. The lava flows into the ocean and hardens into new land. The resulting barren land is first colonized by pioneer organisms, like algae, which pave the way for later, less hardy plants, such as hardwood trees, by facilitating pedogenesis, especially through the biotic acceleration of weathering and the addition of ...