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Soil is the site of a huge recycling operation, whereby dead organisms and organic waste products are broken down to component parts – molecules, ions, or elements subsequently available as sources of nutrients and energy to the living soil organisms. The laborers in this operation are primarily mesofauna (insects, earthworms, and other visible soil-dwelling creatures) and microorganisms including fungi and bacteria that use the organic material as their food source - and that eventually become fodder for the next generation of recyclers.
Publication Number:
FS1135
Author(s):
Stephanie Murphy
Daniel Gimenez
Loren Muldowney
Joseph Heckman
Publisher:
Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
Date Published:
3/26/2012
Number of pages:
3
Tags:
soil; organic matter; plant nutrition; plant agriculture

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