the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem, including food webs
Know that fungi recycle leaves into nutrient-rich humus
Know that earthworms improve the structure of soil
Know that plants, fungi and earthworms work together to recycle leaves
Appreciate that soil contains important living organisms that are essential for the survival of ecosystems
flow and recycle
organisms are organised
Readers of the earlier story, ‘A year in the life of a sugar factory’, might think it extravagant for an oak tree to spend a year making leaves, only to throw them away at the end of the year. ‘Subterranean superheroes’ completes the story by showing that the oak trees collaborate with fungi, bacteria and earthworms, to recycle the leaves into nutrients that can be taken back into the plants through their roots. These organisms have co-evolved together and are totally dependent on each other for their continued survival and also for the survival of Nowhere Wood.
Interdependences are one of the “biggest” ideas of biology and we should expect them to occur everywhere, at all all levels of biological organisation.
Soil is made from tiny particles of rock, but it is the organic materials (humus) that provide nutrients for the growth of plants. It is the actions of fungi, bacteria and earthworms that maintain the levels of humus in the soil.
It is the actions of earthworms that aerate the soil and improve its drainage that provides the oxygen and water needed for the growth of plant roots. Soil is alive because of the activities of these living organisms. Sand (which lacks these organisms and their processes) is dead and cannot sustain life.
Friday 4th December 2020 was #WorldSoilDay2020 and here is a video celebrating our dependence on soil:
