What are soil microbes? What is the soil microbiome?

An important part of the soil ecosystem, microbes (also called microorganisms) are living organisms that are too small be seen with the naked eye. They include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae, archaea, and others. All together, the community of these microscopic organisms is refered to as the soil microbiome. In soil, microorganisms help break down organic material through decomposition to create rich soils for growing grass and other plant life. While some soil microbes can cause disease in plants, a balanced soil microbiome is fundemental to building strong soil. Some microbes directly promote plant growth!

Image caption: Plants are surrounded by microbes, from their leaves to their roots!

Image attribution: N. Wang, T. Jin, P. Trivedi et al. via Wikimedia Commons