Our planet is formed by four majorshells: atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere. All of them are in close interaction with each other, because representatives of the biosphere shell of the Earth - animals, plants, microorganisms - cannot exist without such formative substances as water and oxygen.
As well as the lithosphere, soil cover andother deep layers cannot exist in isolation. Despite the fact that we can not see it with the naked eye, the soil is very densely populated. How many living creatures in it does not live! Like any living organisms, they also need water and air.
What animals live in the soil? How do they influence its formation and how do they adapt to this habitat? We will try to answer these and other questions in this article.
The soil is only the uppermost, very shallow layer making up the lithosphere. Its depth goes approximately by 1-1.5 m. Then a completely different layer begins, in which the groundwater flows.
That is, the upper soil fertile layer isthere is the very habitat of various forms, sizes and methods of feeding of living organisms and plants. The soil, as an animal habitat, is very rich and diverse.
This structural part of the lithosphere is not the same.The formation of the soil layer depends on many factors, mainly on environmental conditions. Therefore, the types of soil (fertile layer) also differ:
This classification is for area only.Russia. On the territory of other countries, continents, parts of the world there are other types of soil (sandy, clayey, arctic-tundra, humus, and so on).
Also, all soils are different in chemicalcomposition, moisture and air saturation. These indicators vary and depend on a number of conditions (for example, animals in the soil affect this, which will be discussed below).
Since the beginning of life on our planet, their soil has begun. It was with the formation of living systems that the slow, continuous and self-renewable formation of soil substrates began.
From this, it is clear that living organisms playa role in soil formation. Which one? Basically, this role is reduced to the processing of organic substances contained in the soil, and its enrichment with mineral elements. This is also loosening and improving aeration. M. Lomonosov wrote very well about this in 1763. It was he who first stated that the soil is formed due to the death of living creatures.
In addition to the activities carried outanimals in the soil and plants on its surface, a very important factor in the formation of the fertile layer are rocks. The type of soil will depend on their variety in general.
Also play a role and abiotic factors:
As a result, rocks are processed underby the influence of abiotic factors, and microorganisms living in the soil decompose animal and plant remains, turning organic matter into mineral matter. As a result, a fertile layer of soil of a certain type is formed. At the same time, animals that live underground (for example, worms, nematodes, moles) provide for its aeration, i.e., oxygenation. This is achieved by loosening and continuous processing of soil particles.
Animals and plants together give the soilorganic matter. Microorganisms, protozoa, unicellular fungi and algae process this substance and convert it into the desired form of mineral elements. Worms, nematodes and other animals again pass through soil particles, thereby forming an organic fertilizer - biohumus.
Отсюда вывод:Soils are formed from rocks as a result of a long historical period of time under the influence of abiotic factors and with the help of animals and plants living in them.
A huge role not only in the formation of the soil, but also in the life of all other living creatures is played by the smallest creatures that form the whole invisible soil world. Who is to them?
Во-первых, одноклеточные водоросли и грибы.Of the mushrooms, there are sections of chyridiomycetes, deuteromycetes, and some representatives of zygomycetes. From algae phyto-edaphones should be noted, which are green and blue-green algae. The total mass of these creatures per 1 hectare of soil cover is approximately 3100 kg.
Во-вторых, это многочисленные микроорганизмы, bacteria and such animals in the soil as protozoa. The total mass of these living systems per hectare of soil is approximately 3100 kg. The main role of single-celled organisms is reduced to the processing and decomposition of organic residues of plant and animal origin.
The most common of these organisms are:
The following invertebrates belong to the soil inhabitants:
Такие животные, обитающие в почве, очень важны.Their value is determined by the ability to pass through soil clumps and saturate them with organic substances, forming biohumus. Also, their role is to loosen the soil, improve oxygen saturation and create voids that are filled with air and water, resulting in increased fertility and quality of the upper layer of the earth.
Consider what animals live in the soil. They can be divided into two types:
К постоянным позвоночным млекопитающим жителям, those representing the animal world of the soil include blind, blind-headed, zokor and marsupial moles. Their value is reduced to the maintenance of food chains, as they are saturated with soil insects, snails, mollusks, slugs and so on. And the second meaning is the digging of long and winding passages, which allow the soil to be moistened and enriched with oxygen.
Temporary inhabitants, representing the fauna of the soil, use it only for a short shelter, usually as a place for laying and storing larvae. These animals include:
In order to live in such a difficult environment assoil, animals should have a number of special adaptations. Indeed, according to the physical characteristics of this environment is dense, tough and low oxygen. In addition, there is absolutely no light in it, although there is a moderate amount of water. Naturally, these conditions need to be able to adapt.
Therefore, animals that live in the soil, over time (during evolutionary processes) acquired the following features:
All these devices create so comfortable conditions that the animals in the soil feel no worse than those that live in the ground-air environment, and perhaps even better.
The main environmental groups of soil inhabitants are considered to be:
The totality of all animals in each group isan important link in the overall food chain. In addition, their livelihoods determine the quality of the soil, their self-renewability and fertility. Therefore, their role is extremely important, especially in the modern world, in which agriculture forces the soil to become poorer, leach out and get salted out under the influence of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Animal soils contribute to a more rapid and natural recovery of the fertile layer after heavy mechanical and chemical attacks from humans.
Not only are animal soils interconnected betweenitself, forming a common biocenosis with its food chains and ecological niches. In fact, all existing plants, animals and microorganisms are involved in a single circle of life. As well as all of them are associated with all habitats. We give a simple example illustrating this relationship.
Grass grasses and fields are food forterrestrial animals. They, in turn, serve as a source of food for predators. The remains of grass and organic matter, which are derived from the waste products of all animals, fall into the soil. Here, microorganisms and insects that are detritophages are accepted. They decompose all residues and convert them to mineral substances suitable for absorption by plants. Thus, plants get the components they need for growth and development.
In the soil itself, microorganisms and insects, rotifers, beetles, larvae, worms, and so on become food for each other, and therefore a common part of the entire food network.
Таким образом, получается, что животные, those living in the soil and the plants living on its surface have common points of intersection and interact with each other, forming a single common harmony and force of nature.
Poor soil is called, which repeatedlyexposed to human. Construction, cultivation of agricultural plants, drainage, land improvement - all this eventually leads to the impoverishment of the soil. What inhabitants are able to survive in such conditions? Unfortunately, not many. The most enduring underground inhabitants are bacteria, some protozoa, insects, and their larvae. Mammals, worms, nematodes, locusts, spiders, crustaceans in such soils can not survive, so they die or leave them.
Также к бедным относятся почвы, в которых низкое content of organic and mineral substances. For example, loose sand. This is a special environment in which certain organisms live with their adaptations. Or, for example, saline and strongly acidic soils also contain only specific inhabitants.
The school course of zoology does not provide for the study of animal soil in a separate lesson. Most often, this is just a quick overview in the context of a topic.
Однако в начальной школе есть такой предмет, как "The world". Animals in the soil are studied in the program of this subject in great detail. Information is presented according to the age of the children. The babies are told about the diversity, the role in nature and human activities that animals play in the soil. Grade 3 training is the most suitable age for this. Children are already educated enough to learn some terminology, and at the same time they have a great craving for knowledge, for learning about everything around them, for studying nature and its inhabitants.
The main thing is to make the lessons interesting, non-standard, as well as informative, and then the children will absorb knowledge like sponges, including about the inhabitants of the soil environment.
It is possible to provide a short list reflecting the main soil inhabitants. Naturally, to make it complete will not work, because there are so many of them! However, the main representatives try to call.
Animal soils - list:
