Slide 2 of 8
Notes:
Plants and animals have important roles to play in soil. Both plants and animals change the composition and structure of soil in many different ways.
Plants with roots obtain nutrients and moisture from soil through their roots. Roots get energy to grow from sugars that are made during photosynthesis--a process that occurs in the leaves. Roots absorb nutrients and water primarily through tiny projections called root hairs.
Although plants are the most visible large organisms, may animals also inhabit soils. Earthworms are perhaps the best known of this group. Scientists estimate that between 200 and 1,000 pounds of earthworms can be found in an acre of soil.
