The Seven Functions of a Healthy Soil Foodweb
- Retain nutrients - nutrients are complexed via living biomass and clay-humus; nutrients do not leach and pollute groundwater, retention of fertilizer nutrients
- Cycle nutrients - nutrients are made available to plants in the right form at the right time during the growing season; via plant-microbe feedback
- Build soil structure - soil aggregates formed thru bacterial and fungal interaction with clay particles; creates porosity and habitat for roots and soil organisms, reduces compaction, improves water-holding capacity
- Suppress diseases and pests - disease-causing organisms are suppressed thru bio-control mechanisms like competition; insect pests are suppressed during soil-dwelling phase via bio-control
- Colonize plant surfaces - root (rhizosphere) and leaf (phyllosphere) surfaces are colonized by beneficial organisms and predators that control disease-causing organisms; mutualistic and symbiotic plant-microbe associations (e.g., Rhizobium, mycorrhizal fungi)
- Produce plant growth-promoting substances - microorganisms that live in association with rhizosphere and phyllosphere produce bio-active substances that promote plant growth; hormones, secondary metabolites
- Decompose toxic compounds - microorganisms breakdown toxic compounds derived from natural and human sources (e.g., salts, pesticides, anaerobic compounds, waste products)
If you manage to set up all these fuctions in the soil, you do indeed, understand the soil food web
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