Soil Microscopy
In recent years soil microbiology has been getting a lot of attention and for good reason. The science has grown in leaps and bounds, and new discoveries are still happening every day! Soil ecology is a very complex web of life, this has been termed the soil food web. The soil food web is a wonderful symphony of life that’s made of both synergistic partnerships and wild predators that feast on prey in a way that rivals a sci-fi film full of aliens in deep space.
Bacteria
The foundation of the soil food web is bacteria. Although there are millions of species of bacteria in the soil and thousands of variables of soil conditions that create an unlimited combination of these bacteria, the main players make up most of the population in different ratios.    Many of these main bacteria groups are facultative meaning they live in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. These bacteria live in the soil, in the plant’s roots, in and on leaves and stems as well as in and on us and our animals. Facultative bacteria serve as saprophytes, endophytes and gut flora then back to the soil in manure as a decomposer again completing the cycle. This creates a microbial feedback loop in our crops, animals and ourselves.    The microbial feedback loop is very important to the health and wellness of the entire ecology of a system. Each time a bacterium moves from place to place in the cycle it adapts and becomes more efficient at its current task, bacteria are always in flux with horizontal gene transfer and morphologically changing to survive its environment.    In the soil bacteria help solubilize minerals like iron or calcium as well as stabilize elements like carbon and nitrogen by embodying the elements for reproduction but produce no waste. Some bacteria release substances that trigger plant growth and immunity, acids and enzymes but they do not release waste. The way these elements and minerals cycle back into the system is through bacterial death.     When we look at the carbon to nitrogen ratio of bacteria it’s the highest nitrogen ratio of all life forms at an average of 1:1 we start to understand the most efficient delivery mechanism for fertility is through the microbes.  When we build a balanced ratio of soil bacteria and predators in our soil, we then start to have a stable soil nutrients cycle that needs minimal inputs.
Fungi
Fungi is a fundamental part of healthy soil. For most of us when we hear fungi we may think about mushrooms. Not all fungi forms fruit body mushrooms, in fact mold and yeast are also considered fungi. In fact, some of these molds and yeasts are beneficial to the plants and soil. Some benefits include the aid in defense against fungal disease, breaking down organic matter as decomposers and storage of nutrients in the organisms like bacteria to later cycle into plant available forms.   Not all fungi are decomposers or nutrient stabilizers, yet some are mineral solubilizing like mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi cannot live without a host of a plant root. This is not a one-sided parasitic relationship; it’s quite the opposite. It is a mutualistic relationship these fungi feed on the plant sugar produced by photosynthesis and in return bring up water and minerals from abroad. This unique root extension that increases the root potential nutrient uptake. In some cases, hundreds of times more reach than just the root. We also see relationships between microorganisms, mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria have some synergistic combinations as well that continue to increase the potential.
Protozoa and Nematodes
Protozoans are a group of about 1600 species of higher life forms that primarily feed on soil bacteria. These protozoa include naked and testate amebae, flagellates, ciliates and a few more. Nematodes are microscopic worms that play several roles in the soil, here we will mention the nematodes that feed on bacteria. Although some nematodes can be omnivore and feed on plant roots, fungi and bacteria many of these adapt to the condition and feed on what’s available opportunistically it would seem with the morphology being able to shift shapes of mouth parts in different environments with differing food sources.    Keeping this ecological balance in ratio of predators and prey in the soil is the most effective way to cycle nutrients in our soils in a natural an organic way.