Alpine Ecosystems Research Institute
Humans in the Environment
Ecosystems are built by the soil food web. Learn the intimate relationships between soil microbiota, plants, and humans through time...
What is happening now?
The relationship between humans and the environment has divorced
Across history, humans have had intimate relationships with the native flora and fauna. Spring beauty corms (small subalpine/alpine tubers) must be dug up to be harvested, and the species benefits from the soil disturbance. The cycle was mutually beneficial to the plant and to the harvester.
​​​​In modern society, our footprints and impacts on soil microbiology are extensive. Soils lack nutrients and require massive inputs to grow human food. Farmers resort to extensive tillage regimes to maintain weeds, and all the while we have significant soil losses and nutrient leaching from run off.
How can we be good soil stewards?
Mimic mother nature
Like any organism, soil microbiota can only recover if they are given food, water, shelter, and, in the case of beneficial soil organisms, oxygen. Bacteria and fungi eat the dead and decaying matter on the soil surface. This means we want to make sure that the ground surface of the soil is covered either with some kind of mulch or with living plants. We also want to limit disturbance, which means eliminating tillage except in rare circumstances.
What practices should we avoid?
Avoid tillage, pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizer
Tillage destroys the aggregates and pore spaces that the bacteria and fungi create. It temporarily aerates the soil, but in the long run it causes more soil compaction because the bacteria and, particularly, fungi take time to repair and rebuild. Pesticides and herbicides also destroy the soil biology, eliminating the protections that beneficial soil biology provides, and creating an environment that favors weeds and pests in the future. Weeds are unable to process ammonium, a type of nitrogen that fungi produce. Increasing beneficial fungi and bacteria can improve plant health, reduce or eliminate weed pressure, and reduce pressure from pests and diseases.
How do we improve soil conditions?
Multiply the beneficial organisms
Modern-day human practices have decreased the abundance of soil microbes, but you have the ability to help them grow and even to put them back into a system that is lacking. This can be done by creating aerobic thermophilic compost using local materials. This is so you multiply the organisms that are specifically adapted to your climate. If you are successful in growing the organisms you want, the compost can be applied to your land as is, or as a liquid extraction. Our educational content can provide guidance on how to accomplish this.
The Benefits of Soil Microbes
Soil microbes do so much for our ecosystems, but much of it goes unnoticed because these organisms are invisible to our eyes. Bacteria and fungi break down dead and dying organic material, reorganize soil structure to create pore spaces, increase aeration, increase water retention, and begin the process of nutrient cycling. They even produce glues to hold the soil structure together, reducing erosion. But the story doesn't end with them. Predators must be present...
Soil Biology Blog
$25/year
If you are interested in supporting our research and learning more about the benefits of soil microbes and soil restoration practices in southwest Montana, please consider joining our membership for access to our Soil Biology Blog! You can also gain access to all blog posts for free by signing up for a 1-month free trial.
