nature³
9 times out of 10, we take the ground we stand on for granted. What could there be special about it?
This is why we wanted to dig deep and find out, what really happens beneath our feet. What „is“ the ground? And who lives there? Join us on our journey and don’t be scared to touch the bugs!
nature³
have you ever asked yourself…
what does the ground actually consist of?
Soil is the top layer of the earth's surface, about one metre thick. However, soil does not simply cover the earth, but fulfils many important functions.
There are many types of different soils.
For our journey, we are digging into 2 different ones:
Garden soil and forest soil.
does it make a difference…
if humans are working the soil?
The ground is vital for humans, animals and plants. Good soil is the prerequisite for clean water, it provides food and raw materials, stores and filters water and can break down pollutants. The ground provides areas for housing, for transport infrastructure like roads, and they provide space for recreational activities.
Human use of soil is the reason why we want to compare two different cubic meters of land in Switzerland.
How do they differ, how are they the same? What changes, if humans are present?
let us dig deep into...
the garden soil
The soil type has a great influence on the supply of nutrients, water, air and heat in the soil and thus also on fertility. A distinction is made between the soil types sand, silt and clay, depending on the grain size.
Sandy soil has the coarsest structure, while clay soil contains very fine particles. Silt lies in the middle. A clay soil contains components of all three fractions. Soils are also called "light" if they are more sandy soils, or "heavy" if they tend towards loam or clay.
Humus: where we do the gardening
Topsoil: plants grow deep into the topsoil
Subsoil: roots find their way through many little rocks
Weathered rock fragments: roots stop growing around here
Bedrock: the soil builds upon heavy and big bedrocks
let us dig deep into...
the forest soil
The forest floor is not a compact mass, but an open and porous system of organic and mineral particles, soil organisms, roots, air and water. It is a permanent construction site where material is broken down, transformed and new things are created.
Forest soils are formed by chemical and physical weathering of the parent rock and by the transformation of organic components by soil organisms. The smallest creatures crush and decompose the fallen leaves, needles and branches into hummus. Part of this hummus serves as a nutrient element for the plants - this closes the cycle.
Humus: dead leaves turning to new soil
Topsoil: Humus-mineral mixture
Subsoil: Light, grayish-brown, silt loam
Parent material Dark brown firm clay
Bedrock: the soil builds upon heavy and big bedrocks
so in conclusion…
the soils aren’t built differently.
They only differ due to our type of usage: When the soil is left alone, it provides for itself. You can see it best when learning about the circle of forest soil.
Leaves
As a natural part of the seasons, trees will shed their leaves onto the floor, where they start to rot.
Decomposition
Due to the natural processes of decomposition, the leaves become part of the soil. Animals and insects help this process immensely.
Growth
The decomposed leaves bring nutrients into the soil that help new plants grow. The process starts itself again.
The biggest difference is who actually lives in the soil: Studies show, that insects are drawn away by the actions human take to prepare garden soil for gardening.
Animal Protozoa
Are creatures that colonise the water and soil with a great diversity of species.
Rotifers
Occur in many habitats - in trees, in moist moss or among soil particles.
Tardigrades
Are eight-legged animals and their clumsy way of moving is not unlike bears. They live in damp to wet habitats. They feed on plant cells and small animals such as nematodes or rotifers
Bacteria
Are single-celled organisms. They can be spherical, rod-shaped or helical. Over 100 million bacteria can live in one gram of soil. Among other things, bacteria decompose carbohydrates, proteins and fix nitrogen
Fungi
Fungi, like animals and other bacteria, are heterotrophic. They feed on the organic nutrients in their environment.
Threadworms
Are small, white to colourless, filamentous worms that live in moist substrates.
if you say insects…
what kind of insects are we talking about?
There are living millions of beings right beneath our feet. Some are so small, we can’t see them with bare eye!
These insects look after our ground: Nature needs animals and plants to work together,
that every natural process keeps working.
Let’s take a look through the magnifying glass: Who are those little helpers?
Beetle (larvae)
Many larvae of bipeds and beetles live in the litter and soil until they pupate. This can take several years. They feed on organic matter of all kinds.
Mites
There are two groups of mites. Horn mites feed on foliage, algae carrion and fungi. Predatory mites, on the other hand, are carnivores and feed on worms, springtails and other mites.
Woodlice
Most isopods are herbivores and thus biologically belong to the first decomposers. Since isopods need to keep their delicate gill appendages constantly moist, they prefer moist habitats. They eat fallen leaves and dead wood.
Earthworms
Earthworms eat through the soil layers of their habitat. The texture of the soil produced by the earthworm encourages microorganisms that are beneficial to the soil.
Springtails
There are 300 known species in Europe. The wingless insects, as the name suggests, jump from A to B with their two-parted tails. Springtails consume dead, organic matter
Pseudoscorpions
Belong to the arachnids and are only a few millimetres in size. With their claws, certain pseudoscorpions can attach themselves to a leg or hair of a flying insect and travel great distances.
Whiteworms
Are a species-rich family from the group, that includes earthworms. Along with isopods, springtails and the earthworms, the enchyte worms are the most important litter decomposers in the soil
Diptera (larvae)
Diptera larvae are not a separate species, but the larvae of many other species. The larvae spend this first phase of their life in the soil. During this time they consume plant debris and organic material, but some are also hunters.
Millipedes
Centipedes include dwarf, few-footed, hundred-footed and double-footed. Dwarf centipedes live mainly in the top layer of soil, under manure heaps and under stones. They feed on decaying or living plant parts.
Snails
Among snails there are herbivores, scavengers and predatory snails, whereby herbivores often also eat carrion, and scavengers often also eat plants, i.e. they are omnivores.
and
many
more...
don’t be scared…
most of these are so small, you can’t even see them.
body sizes
If you check out this body size chart,
you’ll see, that you actually can’t see
much!
While we would to avoid these „monsters“
at all costs, we should be
happy they are here.
Insects provide for us:
Through their contribution,
earth stays fertile.
onto the bad news…
insects are dying. So is our soil.
And so is the food that keeps us alive. Through human intervention, nature has changed drastically.
So much that many organisms can’t live under these new conditions.
If nature’s helpers are not around to help anymore, natural processes will fall apart.
And so will the world we’ve known so far: There is no life without insects.
Centipedes
Centipedes belong to the millipedes. They are predators and generally live in foliage, under stones, in rotting wood or hidden in the soil.
Of 2,102 insects recorded,
1,263 are not threatened or barely threatened
and 819 on the red list.
Insects are dying as we
speak. It’s a dire situation: Many
species are barely surviving.
The worst part: It’s our fault.
Due to our culture of agriculture,
nature is at stake.
Even though many people take care of nature, millions of people living on earth need food, shelter and water – all of these are based on healthy ground.
Our systems have led to a use of soil, that does harm. No individual is responsible for this wrongdoing.
It’s about our attitude towards nature.
how can this be…
when we’re not doing harm on purpose?
It’s all about how we behave ourselves. The individual has to change their attitude so that our society can change.
But how can we change?
what can we do…
to safe the world we live in?
1
Don't litter.
2
Do not pick flowers.
3
Plant bug friendly
flowers and plants.
4
Plant native plants
and flowers.
5
Buy organically
grown food.
6
Exotic plants do not provide food and habitat for insects.
7
Do not use chemicals in the garden.
8
Plant flowering native plants around the house.
9
Leave some wild areas when mowing.
10
Avoid using weed killers and insecticides.
11
Sensitise neighbours.
12
Buy organic products.
13
Buy organic products.
nature needs you. now.
thank you for changing the world.