1.

Dirt Is Not Dead: How Land Use Affects the Living Soil
Humans use land to grow crops for food, and the farming methods we use
can influence the organisms that live in the soil. Soil organisms do important
work, like decomposing organic matter and releasing nutrients for plant
growth. Over 7.8 billion people eat food that grows in soil, these people all
need to eat healthy food. In the soil, there are billions of organisms, such as
bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and isopods that live there, the soil food web is
composed of them, this food web helps plants grow. Many animals live in
soils, but… why can we not see them all? The tiny animals living in soils are
called soil invertebrates: small, soil-dwelling animals without backbones or
bony skeletons, and they vary greatly in size.

2. How Soil Invertebrates Deal With Microplastic Contamination

Small animals living in soils, called soil invertebrates, represent a very
diverse group of soil inhabitants. They include earthworms, woodlice, spiders,
springtails, mites, and some insects. Soil invertebrates feed on dead plants,
on fungi and bacteria, or on other soil invertebrates. Each soil invertebrate
group likes different foods. In general, some soil invertebrates, like spiders,
feed on other soil invertebrates. All soil invertebrates are important for the
environment. For example, water bears can colonize new environments and
serve as food for other organisms. Nematodes can help cycle nutrients
through the soil, with the help of springtails, mites, woodlice, and earthworms.

3. Double Whammy for Life in Soil? The Effects of Drought and Fertilizer Use
For the last two centuries, humans have been changing the Earth through their way of
life. Our actions are not only causing climate change and leading to prolonged periods of
drought, they are also leading to an overaccumulation of nutrients in soil, due to burning of
fossil fuels and fertilization of agricultural fields. Over the last 200 years, human activities
have changed the world tremendously. Soils are an important part of terrestrial ecosystems.
Although we are often unaware of them, soils are teeming with living things. The soil
invertebrates perform numerous tasks that are necessary for our existence. All these soil
creatures, like almost all life on earth, are highly dependent on water for drinking, for
breathing, or even as a means of transportation. To understand the effects of drought and
fertilization on soil organisms, we started an experiment that simulated these two common
factors that humans change.

References
Hines, J. and T. De Vries, F., 2020. Dirt Is Not Dead: How Land Use Affects the Living Soil.
Frontiers for Young Minds.
https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2020.549486

Barreto, C., C. Rillig, M., R. Waldman, W. and Maaß, S., 2021. How Soil Invertebrates Deal
With Microplastic Contamination. [online] Frontiers for Young Minds.
https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2021.625228

Barreto, C., C. Rillig, M., R. Waldman, W. and Maaß, S., 2021. How Soil Invertebrates Deal
With Microplastic Contamination. [online] Frontiers for Young Minds.
https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2021.625228