Imagine a bear sitting in the forest. We all know the bear is alive, but what about the soil it’s sitting on? At first glance, soil might not seem like a living thing. It doesn’t move around or reproduce like animals do. However, if you ask scientists, many of them will say that soil is indeed alive! Let’s explore why that is.
Welcome to MinuteEarth! Soil has more in common with a bear—and all other living things—than you might think. Just like a bear is made up of living and dead matter, minerals, air, and water, soil is also a mix of these components. These elements don’t just sit there; they work together as a dynamic system. This means soil acts like a living system, constantly changing and adapting.
Living things interact with their environment in many ways. For example, a bear eats food from its habitat and helps spread nutrients around. Similarly, soil plays a crucial role in its ecosystem. The tiny air pockets in soil help manage water flow. Soil also transforms dead matter into nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon, which other living things need. It even stores extra nutrients until they’re needed.
One of the strongest arguments for soil being alive is that it can die. Just like a bear, soil can lose its ability to function properly. If the air pockets in soil get squished, it can’t hold water well, leading to floods and erosion. If important nutrients are used up, soil can’t support plant life. Without healthy soil, we can’t grow the food we need or store carbon to help fight climate change.
Whether or not you believe soil is technically alive, it’s helpful to think of it that way. This perspective helps us understand how soil works as a complex system and how it can change over time, especially due to human actions. It also gives us a way to talk about these changes. In fact, thinking of other things like the ocean or the economy as having living properties can help us keep them healthy—and keep ourselves healthy too.
If you’re interested in learning more about soil health or global restoration, check out Restor. It’s a new site created by Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Restor is an open-data platform that lets anyone get involved in restoration projects. You can find projects to support, volunteer with, or learn about restoration efforts in your area or around the world. Crowther Lab believes that with the right tools, we can all help use our land sustainably. To learn more and join the community working to restore Earth’s ecosystems, visit Restor.eco.
Take a small sample of soil from your backyard or a nearby park. Use a magnifying glass to observe the different components in the soil. Write down your observations about the living and non-living elements you find. Think about how these elements might interact with each other.
Create a mini-ecosystem in a jar. Layer soil, small plants, and a few earthworms. Over the next few weeks, observe how the plants grow and how the soil changes. Record your observations and consider how the soil supports plant life and how the plants might affect the soil.
In groups, create a role-playing game where each student represents a component of soil (e.g., minerals, air, water, organic matter). Act out how these components interact to support plant life and what happens when one component is missing or depleted.
Research different factors that can harm soil health, such as pollution or deforestation. Create a presentation or poster that explains these factors and suggests ways to prevent soil degradation. Share your findings with the class.
Find a local area where soil health could be improved. Plan a small restoration project, such as planting native plants or creating a compost area. Work with your classmates to implement the project and monitor its impact on the soil over time.
Here’s a bear. We probably agree that the bear is alive, but how about the soil it’s sitting on? That definitely isn’t a living thing, right? It doesn’t do a lot of the key things living things do, like moving and reproducing. But ask scientists whether soil is alive, and the answer, more often than not, is “yes!” What’s going on?
Welcome to MinuteEarth. Soil actually has a lot more in common with a bear—and all other living things—than you might think. Just like all the components that make up the bear—living matter, dead matter, minerals, air, and water—are constantly working together and sustaining each other so the bear can keep doing its bear-related activities, soil is also made up of a system of living matter, dead matter, minerals, air, and water. That’s right—these components don’t just exist in soil; they are the soil, and they’re constantly working together as a dynamic, self-regulating system—you might call it a living system.
Then, there’s the fact that living things interact with their surroundings in various ways. A bear, for instance, consumes resources from its habitat and spreads nutrients around. Soil, too, is a dynamic link in its ecosystem. Its air-filled pores help regulate fluctuating water flow. Soil helps transform an ecosystem’s dead matter into easily accessible nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon that other life forms need—and it serves as a storehouse for extra nutrients until they’re required.
And maybe the most compelling argument for soil being alive is that it can die. Like a bear, soil can lose its ability to carry out all its internal processes and external interactions. If soil’s air-filled pores get compacted, it starts losing its ability to hold water, leading to floods and erosion. If certain nutrients get depleted, soil loses its ability to support life. And soil that can’t support life can’t support us—it can’t grow the food we need to survive or store the carbon needed to combat climate change.
So whether or not you actually believe soil is alive, it’s useful to think about it as being alive, since that can help us understand how soil functions as a complex, dynamic system and how it can change over time—especially as a result of our actions. What’s more, it gives us a vocabulary to talk about those changes. In fact, it can be helpful to think and talk about all sorts of maybe-not-technically living things—from the ocean to the economy—as having living properties. In the end, that may help us ensure these things can stay healthy—and that we can stay healthy too.
If you want to know more about soil health or other aspects of global restoration, you should check out Restor, a new site founded by the folks at Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, who sponsored this video. Restor is an open-data platform that enables everyone everywhere to get involved in restoration—you can find a project to support or volunteer with, share information about your own project, or simply see what kind of restoration is happening in your area or anywhere else you’re interested in. Crowther Lab believes that with access to the right tools, we can all contribute to the sustainable use of the land we depend on. To learn more about your land footprint and to get involved with the diverse community of people restoring Earth’s ecosystems, check out Restor.eco.
Soil – The top layer of the earth’s surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic matter, in which plants grow. – Farmers need healthy soil to grow crops that provide food for people and animals.
Alive – Having life; not dead or inanimate. – The forest is alive with various species of plants and animals interacting with each other.
Ecosystem – A community of living organisms and their physical environment interacting as a system. – The coral reef is a vibrant ecosystem that supports a wide variety of marine life.
Nutrients – Substances that provide nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life. – Plants absorb nutrients from the soil to grow and produce food.
Water – A transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, essential for the survival of most living organisms. – All living things need water to survive, as it is crucial for their biological processes.
Carbon – A chemical element that is a fundamental building block of life, found in all living organisms. – Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis to produce energy.
Erosion – The process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth’s surface by wind or water flow, and then transported and deposited in other locations. – Erosion can lead to the loss of fertile land, making it difficult for plants to grow.
Restoration – The process of returning an ecosystem or habitat to its original state after it has been damaged or degraded. – Efforts in forest restoration help bring back wildlife and improve air quality.
Habitat – The natural environment in which a particular species of plant or animal lives. – The rainforest provides a habitat for thousands of different species of animals and plants.
Health – The state of being free from illness or injury; in ecology, it refers to the condition of an ecosystem being balanced and thriving. – The health of an ecosystem can be measured by the diversity and abundance of its species.
