Fantastic Soil Microbes and Where to Find Them

Researchers from the Sydney Institute of Agriculture at the University of Sydney investigated the vast and largely hidden world beneath our feet. Soil is where 59% of all life on Earth resides.

A single gram of soil can contain up to 10 billion bacteria, far exceeding the human population on the planet. Like plants and animals, these soil microorganisms have habitat preferences. Given Australia's diverse landscapes, soils, and climates, the researchers sought to determine whether soil microbes occupy specific habitats shaped by their surrounding environment.

In the study, published in Global Change Biology, the team analyzed environmental DNA (eDNA) from soil samples collected across the Australian continent. The study revealed that bacterial and fungal communities are influenced by different environmental drivers.

Soil pH emerged as the dominant factor shaping bacterial diversity, while fungal communities were more strongly influenced by climatic variables, particularly rainfall and temperature fluctuations.