1. Soil serves as a:
medium for plant growth,
regulator of water supplies,
recycler of raw materials,
habitat for soil organisms, and.
landscaping and engineering medium.
2. Soil organisms, which range in size from microscopic cells that digest decaying organic material to small mammals that live primarily on other soil organisms, play an important role in maintaining fertility, structure, drainage, and aeration of soil.
3. Advances in watershed, natural resource, and environmental sciences have shown that soil is the foundation of basic ecosystem function. Soil filters our water, provides essential nutrients to our forests and crops, and helps regulate the Earth's temperature as well as many of the important greenhouse gases.
