Universe in a Teaspoon

This was published in the December 23, 2021 edition of The Fish Wrap.

For a few centuries now, humans have been peering through glass lenses to see the universe above us with telescopes and below us with microscopes. A handful of soil contains more microbes than stars in the heavens. With the advent of lens making in the 16th century, humans seemed to create more questions than answers. Today it seems like we know more about the stars light years away than the universe of soil that we can hold in one hand.   

Over the centuries countless scientists, always improving their tools, have been advancing our understanding of plants' relationships with microbes. They discovered that microbes inhabit the soil, interacting with the roots of plants in the rhizosphere, and also cover the plants above ground in what's called the phyllosphere. In the 1990’s the term endosphere came into use to describe the microbes (endophytes) that live at least part of their lives inside the plants.

The soil food web as described by Dr. Elaine Ingham is made up of 5 primary types of organisms: 1. Photosynthesizing plants which produce their own energy and which become an energy source for others 2. Decomposers like fungi and bacteria 3. The fungi and bacteria eaters like nematodes and protozoa 4. Little predators like nematodes and arthropods (bugs) and 5. Big predators like birds and mammals.

Without microbes' symbiotic relationship with all plants and animals, life would not exist.  A diverse microbiome in the soil or gut will increase health and the ability for strong immune responses. Doctors are starting to talk about the importance of the human microbiome in immunity and overall health. Regenerative farmers focus on supporting the soil microbiome as their key principle. We are just beginning to learn about the magical life of soil and the complex interactions of the soil food web.