Healthy soil – What lives in the ground?

In 1 teaspoon of soil, there can exist up to 4000 species of organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, mites, and other creatures.  We spent some time getting to know the marvels of a rotting log and the decomposers who live upon and beneath it.  We learned that decomposers are group of organisms that function as nature’s way of composting and breaking organic matter down, thereby aiding in the health of the soil.  Fungi, worms, centipedes, snails, slugs- all play a role in the healthy and necessary process of decomposition in nature.