Transcript How the soil food web benefits plant life

How the soil food web
benefits plant life
Builds soil structure
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Pore space from burrowing
Sticky substance from bacteria holds
particles together
Mycorrhizal hyphae hold soil conglomerates
together
Disease Suppression
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Population density – “good” organisms take
up all the niches in the soil so there is no
room for disease organisms
Antibiotics – some fungi produce antibiotics
which destroy certain bacteria
Improves nitrogen and other nutrient
retention
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Soil organisms retain nutrients in their bodies
Waste given off by organisms contain
nutrients
When organisms die the nutrients are
released
Mineralizes nutrients
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Organisms can take nutrients that plants
can’t use and change them into a form that
plants can use, such as nitrogen.
Chelation – some nutrients that are not
available to plants can be changed by
organisms by adding an organic molecule,
making them available to the plant.
Decomposition of plant toxins
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Natural plant toxins such as phenols and
tannin can be detoxified when there is a
diversity of soil organisms
Man-made toxins can also be detoxified by a
diversity of soil organisms.
Produces plant growth hormones
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Some plant hormones such as auxin can be
produced by some soil organisms
Auxin promotes root growth
Improves crop quality
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Not well studied
Relation between soil biodiversity and
nutrient quality of food grown in soil
More proteins, vitamins, anti-oxidants present
when soil had a diversity of organisms
present