Different soils, different communities

Forest soils: networks built around organic matter

Forest soils often receive a continuous supply of organic material from fallen leaves, branches, and dead roots. This creates an environment rich in resources for decomposers such as fungi, bacteria, and other soil animals.

Fungi play a particularly important role in many forest ecosystems. Their networks connect with plant roots, help cycle nutrients, and contribute to the formation of soil structure. Larger soil animals, such as earthworms and arthropods, further transform organic matter and create habitats for other organisms.

However, forest soils are not all the same. Forest composition, including tree species diversity, their relative abundance and spatial distribution, together with climate, soil type, and forest management, influences which organisms are present and how they interact.

You can watch soil organisms decompose litter in the video “Forest soil time lapse”. It is approximately 2 minutes long and was produced by Wim van Egmond.