Explain: Soil Food Webs

Teachers may use these materials to develop lectures, student reading materials or as resources for further investigations. Take time to review the questions and conclusions from the labs. Use Know Soil Know Life Table 3-2 to build an understanding of soil fauna.

Display the following graphics and video clips and then discuss the variety of organisms in the soil and the roles that they play.

IYS Soils are Living Video

Activity: Watch this 3-minute video and have students write down a list all the "jobs" that microbes perform in soils that are mentioned in the video.
Time required: 5 minutes



Use the graphic pictured below to discuss the food webs and soil and how they are similar/different to other food webs that students may be familiar with. Review the terminology microfaunaProtozoa, nematodes, and arthropods of microscopic size. and macrofauna.

Online Resources

Tom Loynachan's Soil Biology movies: Soil Biology Movies

Additional Video Clips

After these introductory activities show the segment from Symphony of the Soil. In the video clip, many forms of soil life are shown.
Show the segment from 18 to 26 minutes
Symphony of the Soil The film is $5.99 to rent. It may be available in local libraries.