THE SOIL BENEATH YOUR FEET You may not think much about the dirt beneath your feet but it is necessary for most life on Earth Soil provides a place for plants to grow Plants obtain food and water from the soil Animals need plants for food and for the oxygen we need to breathe Soil is also home to many creatures Some are large and others are so small you need a microscope to see them Soil gives us much of what we need to live Most plants including the food we eat grow in the soil 4
These creatures are all part of an ecosystem that keeps soil plants and animals healthy Soil looks and feels different depending on where you are There are more than 70,000 types of soil in the United States alone It takes hundreds of years to make soil Sadly it can be damaged very quickly Not only do some soils look different some are better for growing plants than others Think about the soil you might find in a desert and the soil you might find on a farm How are they different Compare and Contrast 5
WHAT IS SOIL GOOD FOR Most life on Earth needs soil to survive Plants need soil to hold them in place and to provide food Soil contains nutrients for plants These are food substances Plants need water and nutrients found in soil to live Can you think of places where it may be hard for plants to survive Think About It The roots of a plant hold it in the soil and keep it from falling over 6
Hills of sand known as dunes are formed by winds that move sand particles around the desert that help plants grow Soil also holds water that is absorbed by the roots Without soil plants could not survive Because plants give off the oxygen we need to breathe we could not survive without soil either Plants such as grass help prevent the top layer of soil from being washed away by water or blown away by wind Not all soils can support a large amount of plant life In deserts where most plants cannot grow sandstorms frequently reshape the land 7
